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A  ceofAcue  PUBLICATION 


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. 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Twenty  Carefully  Prepared  Inductive  Lessons 


Presenting  More  than  150  Statements 
of  the  Catechism 


qA  Preparation  for  Confession ,  Communion ,  Confirmation 


bosto*  lege  f  iBPARY 

CHESTNUT  hill.  mass. 


Written  by  The  Religious  of  the  Cenacle 
Original  Illustrations  by  Claire  Armstrong 


Most  humbly 
dedicated  to 

OUR  HOLY  FATHER 
TOPE  TIUS  XL 


t>  ){  °I30 

■  M 


For  Mother, 

and  Teacher, 


and  Child 


(SMmtat: 


Rev.  Arthur  J.  Scanlan,  S.T.D., 

Censor  Librorum. 


Jmprimatur: 


►^Patrick  Cardinal  Hayes, 

Archbishop  of  New  York. 


New  York ,  Feast  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes, 
February  11,  1928. 


Copyright,  1928,  by 
The  Cenacle  of  St.  Regis, 
in  the  State  of  New  York. 


FOREWORD 


“Instruction  is  to  be  so  accommodated  to  the 
capacity  and  intelligence  of  the  hearers,  that 
while  the  minds  of  the  strong  are  filled  with 
spiritual  food,  the  little  ones  be  not  suffered  to 
perish  with  hunger,  asking  for  bread,  while  there 
is  ‘none  to  break  it  unto  them.’  ” 

Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 


CONTENTS 


Lesson 

I. 

PAGE 

1 

Lesson 

II _ 

-  13 

.Xesson 

III _ 

...  29 

Lesson 

IV.  _ 

-  41 

-Lesson 

V _ 

57 

..Lesson 

VI. 

72 

..Lesson 

VII. 

...  89 

Xesson 

VIII. 

103 

Xesson 

IX _ 

...  117 

Xesson 

X. 

.  130 

..Lesson 

XI _ 

...  143 

Lesson 

XII. 

-  156 

r 

.Xesson 

XIII. 

...  173 

Lesson 

XIV. 

...  186 

Lesson 

XV. 

...  198 

..Lesson 

XVI.  ___. 

...  210 

..Lesson 

XVII. 

...  223 

The  Sacraments  of  Confirmation, 
Extreme  Unction,  Holy  Orders 


Xesson 

XVIII. .... 

235 

Xesson 

{ 

XIX.  - 

243 

Xesson 

XX.  _ 

260 

273 

Appendix 


- 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 

Lesson  T 


(For  a  Boy ) 

Let  us  make  believe  that  you  are  a  carpenter. 

Suppose  you  are  going  to  make  a  box. 

What  material  and  tools  do  you  need  in  order  to  make 
the  box? 

Boards ,  nails ,  hammer ,  saw ,  etc . 

Or,  perhaps  you  want  to  make  a  wagon. 

What  must  you  have  to  make  the  wagon? 

Boards ,  nails ,  wheels , 


[  Page  1  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


(For  a  Girl) 

Let  us  make  believe  that  you  are  a  dressmaker. 

You  want  to  make  a  dress  for  your  doll. 

What  must  you  have  in  order  to  make  the  dress4? 

Cloth ,  thread ,  needles ,  scissors,  trim¬ 
mings,  etc. 

Suppose  you  are  a  milliner. 

You  are  going  to  make  a  doll’s  hat. 

What  must  you  have  to  make  the  hat4? 

A  shape  or  a  frame,  ribbons  or  silk, 
flowers  maybe,  needles,  thread,  etc. 

(For  a  Boy  or  a  Girl ) 

Suppose  your  mother  is  going  to  make  a  cake  for  sup¬ 
per.  Tell  what  you  think  she  would  need  to  make 
the  cake. 

Flour,  eggs,  water,  sugar,  baking-pow¬ 
der,  a  spoon,  a  baking-pan,  etc. 

If  the  carpenter  did  not  have  any  boards,  or  nails,  etc., 
could  he  make  the  box  or  the  wagon4?  Why  not4? 

He  could  not  make  the  box  or  the 
wagon  because  he  would  not  have  any¬ 
thing  with  which  to  make  them. 

If  the  dressmaker  did  not  have  any  cloth,  or  needles, 
or  thread,  could  she  make  the  doll’s  dress4?  Why  not4? 

She  could  not  make  the  dress  because 
she  would  not  have  anything  with 

which  to  make  it. 


[  Page  2  ] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


If  your  mother  did  not  have  flour,  or  eggs,  or  butter, 
or  fat  of  some  kind,  could  she  make  the  cake*?  Why 
not? 

She  could  not  make  the  cake ,  because 
she  would  not  have  anything  with 

which  to  make  it. 

Whenever  you  want  to  make  anything,  what  do  you 
need  before  you  can  make  it? 

I  need  tools  and  material. 

Suppose  you  had  nothing  at  all,  what  could  you  make? 

I  could  make  nothing. 

So  you  see  you  cannot  make  something  out  of  nothing. 
Do  you  know  any  boy,  or  any  girl,  or  any  man,  or  any 
woman  who  can  make  things  out  of  nothing? 

No. 

But  there  is  Someone  who  has  the  power  to  make  things 
out  of  nothing. 

For,  when  God  wanted  trees  and  flowers,  and  grass  to 
grow  upon  the  earth  which  He  had  made,  He  said : 

“Let  the  earth  bring  forth  the  green  herb,  and 
such  as  may  seed,  and  the  fruit-tree  yielding 
fruit  after  its  kind,  which  may  have  seed  in 
itself  upon  the  earth.  And  it  was  so  done” 
(Genesis  1:11). 


[  Page  3  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


And  when  God  made  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  stars, 
He  said : 

"Let  there  be  lights  made  in  the  firmament 
of  heaven.  .  .  .  And  it  was  so  done. 

And  God  made  two  great  lights:  a  greater 
light  to  rule  the  day;  and  a  lesser  light  to 
rule  the  night:  and  the  stars”  (Genesis  1: 

14-16). 

What  is  meant  by  the  greater  light? 

What  is  the  lesser  light? 

God  also  said: 

"Let  the  waters  bring  forth  the  creeping  crea¬ 
ture  having  life,  and  the  fowl  that  may 
fly  over  the  earth  under  the  firmament  of 
heaven. 

And  God  created  the  great  whales,  and  ev¬ 
ery  living  and  moving  creature,  which  the 
waters  brought  forth,  according  to  their 

[ Page  4  ] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


kinds,  and  every  winged  fowl  according  to 
its  kind”  (Genesis  1 :  20,  21) . 

And  when  God  made  cattle  and  creeping  things  and 
beasts  of  the  earth,  He  said : 

“Let  the  earth  bring  forth  the  living  crea¬ 
ture  in  its  kind,  cattle  and  creeping  things, 
and  beasts  of  the  earth,  according  to  their 
kinds.  And  it  was  so  done”  (Genesis  1 :  24) . 

So  you  see  that  in  the  beginning  God  made  the  land 
and  everything  growing  upon  it,  such  as  trees,  flowers, 
grass,  etc.,  out  of  nothing. 

And  God  made  the  seas  and  all  the  fish  in  the  seas 
out  of  nothing. 

And  God  made  the  sun,  the  moon  and  the  stars  out 
of  nothing. 

“For  he  spoke  and  they  were  made:  he  com¬ 
manded  and  they  were  created”  (Ps.  32:9). 

Let  us  memorize  this  verse  from  the  Bible. 

We  say  that  God  made  the  world  out  of  nothing. 

For  the  earth  with  all  the  people,  and  everything  else 
living  upon  it, — the  seas  and  everything  in  them, — 
the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  stars, — all  these  taken  to¬ 
gether  are  called  the  world . 

Now  let  us  see  if  you  can  tell  what  is  meant  by  the 
world . 


f  Page  5  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Because  God  made  the  world  out  of  nothing  He  is 
called  The  Creator. 

Who,  then,  is  your  Creator*? 

God  is  my  Creator. 

* 

In  the  first  lesson  of  your  catechism,  you  will  find  the 

question, — Who  is  God ? 

And  the  answer  is, — 

God  is  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth 

and  of  all  things . 

Let  us  see  if  you  can  give  this  very  same  answer  to 
the  question, — 

Who  is  God? 

Anything  that  God,  the  Creator,  makes,  is  called  a 
creature .  This  means  that  the  sun,  the  moon,  the 
stars,  the  earth  and  everything  on  it,  the  seas  and  ev¬ 
erything  in  them,  and  all  that  the  Creator  has  made 
are  creatures  of  God. 

Now  you  tell  what  is  meant  by  the  two  new  words 
which  you  have  just  learned. 

What  is  meant  by  Creator? 

What  is  meant  by  creature? 

We  have  been  talking  about  many  things  that  the 
Creator  has  made,  but  some  of  these  things  are  more 
important  than  others. 


[  Page  6  ] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


Now,  let  us  try  to  find  out  which  are  the  most  im¬ 
portant  or  chief  creatures  of  God. 

What  did  God  create  to  give  us  light  by  day  and  by 
night? 

What,  did  He  create  to  grow  upon  the  earth  and  make 
it  very  beautiful  ? 

Which  creatures  of  God  live  upon  the  earth? 

Which  ones  fly  in  the  air? 

Which  ones  live  in  the  sea? 

Some  of  God’s  creatures  can  understand  and  solve 
problems  in  arithmetic  and  other  subjects.  Which 
creatures  are  these? 

Of  all  the  creatures  mentioned  thus  far,  which  do  you 
think  are  the  most  important? 

I  think  the  people  are  the  most  impor¬ 
tant. 

Besides  people,  or  human  beings,  God  has  made  other 

* 

beings  also  very  important. 

These  other  beings  do  not  Jiave  bodies  as  we  have. 

So  they  could  be  all  around  us  and  we  would  not  be 
able  to  see  them. 

Perhaps  you  have  already  heard  about  these  other  im¬ 
portant  beings.  What  are  they  called? 

They  are  called  angels . 

Of  course,  you  have  all  seen  pictures  of  angels,  and 
you  know  that  in  the  pictures  angels  look  like  beauti¬ 
ful  children,  or  grown-up  people  with  wings. 


[  Page  7  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Everyone  knows  that  angels  are  not  really  like  the 
pictures,  because  angels  have  no  bodies,  and  we  can¬ 
not  see  them  unless  God  wants  us  to  see  them. 

But  whenever  God  wanted  any  human  being  to  see 
an  angel,  the  angel  probably  looked  like  the  pictures 
you  have  seen. 

Now  you  know  which  are  the  most  important  or  chief 
creatures  of  God.  Which  are  they*? 

The  chief  creatures  of  God  are  people 

and  angels . 

The  catechism  says, — the  chief  creatures  of  God  are 
?nen  and  angels. 

You  see,  the  word  men  is  used  instead  of  people. 


Summary 

Now,  let  us  review  what  you  have  learned  in  this  les¬ 
son. 

You  have  learned  two  words  that  sound  very  much 
alike. 

What  are  these  words? 

Creator  and  creature . 

What  does  the  word  Creator  mean? 

The  word  Creator  means ,  One  who 
makes  things  out  of  nothing . 


[  Page  8  ] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


Who  is  the  Creator? 

God  is  the  Creator. 

What  does  the  word  creature  mean? 

A  creature  is  anything  that  the  Creator 

has  made. 

Which  are  the  chief  creatures  of  God? 

The  chief  creatures  of  pod  are  men  and 

angels. 


Who  is  God? 

God  is  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth 

and  of  all  things. 


Suppose  a  boy  made  a  kite.  To  whom  would  the  kite 
belong, — to  the  boy  who  made  it  or  to  some  other  boy? 

The  kite  would  belong  to  the  boy  who 

made  it. 

Suppose  a  girl  made  a  dress  for  her  doll.  To  whom 
would  the  doll’s  dress  belong, — to  the  girl  who  made 
it,  or  to  some  other  girl? 

It  would  belong  to  the  girl  who  made  it. 

Suppose  you  cut  a  toy,  such  as  a  horse,  dog,  or  cat,  out 

of  wood  or  card-board.  To  whom  would  the  toy  ani- 

* 

mal  belong, — to  you  or  to  someone  else? 

It  would  belong  to  me. 

[  Page  9  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


You  know  that  God  created  the  angels.  Then,  to 
Whom  do  the  angels  belong? 

The  angels  belong  to  God . 

God  created  all  the  men,  women  and  children,  that 
is,  all  the  human  beings  in  the  world.  To  Whom, 
then,  do  all  human  beings  belong? 

God  is  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth  and  of  all 
things.  To  Whom,  then,  do  heaven  and  earth  and 
all  things  belong? 

To  Whom  do  you  belong? 

I  belong  to  God . 

Now,  let  us  memorize  some  verses  from  the  Bible 
which  will  help  us  to  remember  that  God  is  our  Creator 
and  that  we  belong  to  Him. 

“Know  ye  that  the  Lord  he  is  God:  he  made 
us,  and  not  we  ourselves. 

We  are  his  people  and  the  sheep  of  his 
pasture”  (Psalm  99:  3) . 

“The  earth  is  the  Lord’s  and  the  fulness 
thereof:  the  world,  and  all  they  that  dwell 
therein”  (Psalm  23 :  1 ) . 

“Sing  praises  to  our  God,  sing  ye:  sing 
praises  to  our  king,  sing  ye. 

For  God  is  king  of  all  the  earth”  (Psalm 

46:7,8). 

“Remember  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy 
youth”  (Ecclesiastes  12:  1). 

[  Page  10  ] 


GOD  THE  CREATOR 


Let  us  memorize  some  of  the  following  verses  which 
tell  in  a  beautiful  way  about  the  many  things  the 
Creator  has  made: 

j  •  ;  •  ‘  ■  V  *'  ■  >:  Y  - 

'  **  ‘  '  * 

:  All  Things  Bright  and  Beautiful 

All  things  bright  and  beautiful, 

All  creatures  great  and  small, 

All  things  wise  and  wonderful, 

The  Lord  God  made  them  all. 

Each  little  flower  that  opens, 

Each  little  bird  that  sings, 

He  made  their  glowing  colors, 

He  made  their  tiny  wings. 

The  rich  man  in  the  castle, 

The  poor  man  at  his  gate, 

God  made  them  high  or  lowly, 

And  ordered  their  estate. 

The  purple-headed  mountain, 

The  river  running  by, 

The  sunsets  and  the  morning 
That  brightens  up  the  sky. 

The  cold  wind  in  the  winter, 

The  pleasant  summer  sun, 

The  ripe  fruits  in  the  garden, 

He  made  them  every  one; — 

The  tall  trees  in  the  greenwood, 

The  meadows  where  we  play, 

The  rushes  by  the  water 
We  gather  every  day. 


[  Page  11  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


He  gave  us  eyes  to  see  them, 

And  lips  that  we  might  tell 
How  great  is  God  Almighty, 

Who  has  made  all  things  well. 

— Cecil  Francis  Alexander. 

Review  Questions 
Who  made  the  world? 

Tell  how  God  made  the  world. 

Who  is  God? 

What  name  is  given  to  anything  that  the  Creator 
makes? 

Which  are  the  chief  creatures  of  God? 

To  Whom  do  heaven  and  earth  and  all  things  belong? 
To  Whom  do  you  belong? 


[  Page  12  ] 


GOD’S  IMAGE  AND  LIKENESS  IN  US 


Lesson  II. 

In  our  last  lesson  we  learned  two  words  that  sound 
much  alike. 

Let  us  see  if  we  can  recall  them. 

You  know  that  God  made  heaven  and  earth  and  all 
things  out  of  nothing. 

What  is  God  called  because  He  made  heaven  and 
earth  and  all  things  out  of  nothing? 

He  is  called  Creator . 

Let  us  see  if  you  know  the  other  important  word. 

It  is  the  name  for  anything  that  the  Creator  has  made. 
What  is  the  word? 

Creature . 

Now  tell  the  two  important  words  that  we  have 
just  recalled. 

Creator  and  creature . 

When  we  were  talking  about  God’s  creatures  we 
learned  that  some  of  them  are  more  important  than 
others. 

Which  are  the  most  important,  or  the  chief  creatures 
of  God? 


Men  and  angels . 


[  Page  13  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


In  this  lesson  let  us  learn  why  we  are  called  “chief 
creatures  of  God.”-..  . . 

In  the  very  beginning,  when  God  wanted  to  create 
human  beings,  He  said: 

“Let  us  make  man  to  our  image  and  like¬ 
ness”  (Genesis  1 :  26) . 

Now  you  tell  what  God  said  when  He  wanted  to 
create  human  beings. 

Then  God  created  the  first  man,  and  gave  him  some 
wonderful  gifts. 

God  gave  the  first  man  a  body. 

And  this  was  one  of  God’s  very  wonderful  gifts  to 
the  first  man. 

For  this  gift  was  to  be  the  home,  or  dwelling-place, 
of  all  the  other  gifts. 

I  am  sure  you  will  want  to  know  about  God’s  other 
wonderful  gifts  to  the  first  man. 

And  before  I  tell  you  the  name  of  another  one  of  these 
gifts,  suppose  I  tell  you  what  the  first  man  was  able 
to  do,  because  God  gave  this  gift  to  him. 

This  gift  made  it  possible  for  the  first  man  to  reason, 
to  think  and  to  understand. 

What  do  you  think  the  gift  is  called  which  made  it 
possible  for  the  first  man  to  reason,  to  think  and  to 
understand4? 

The  mind 2 

1Some  children  say  “brains”  or  “head,”  but  “mind”  is  the  right  word  to  use. 

[  Page  14  ] 


GOD’S  IMAGE  AND  LIKENESS 


Besides  a  mind,  God  gave  the  first  man  another  gift, 
also  very  wonderful. 

Because  the  first  man  had  this  gift  he  was  able  to  re¬ 
member  anything  he  had  seen  or  had  been  told. 

Now  can  you  tell  the  name  of  the  gift  which  made  it 
possible  for  the  first  man  to  remember  anything  he 
had  seen,  or  had  been  told? 

The  memory. 

God  gave  the  first  man  still  another  wonderful  gift. 
With  this  gift  the  first  man  was  able  to  like  things, 
or  to  dislike  things. 

With  this  gift  he  could  choose  or  decide  about  things 
for  himself. 

We  call  this  gift  the  will . 

Thus  far  we  have  been  talking  about  four  of  God’s 
wonderful  gifts  to  the  first  man. 

Which  gift  was  to  be  the  home  for  the  other  gifts? 

...  *  # 

The  body. 

Now  see  if  you  can  tell  the  names  of  the  other  three 
gifts. 

The  mind ,  the  memory,  and  the  will. 

Besides  these  wonderful  and  valuable  gifts,  God  gave 
the  first  man  another  gift,  more  wonderful  and  more 
valuable  than  any  of  the  others. 


[  Page  IS  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


This  was  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s 
brightness  and  beauty.2 

This  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness 
and  beauty  made  the  first  man  better  and  brighter  and 
more  like  God. 

This  most  precious  gift  made  the  first  man  a  child  of 
God. 

And  as  a  child  of  God,  the  first  man  belonged  in  heaven 
with  God.  He  belonged  there  just  as  any  child  be¬ 
longs  in  his  father’s  home. 

Now,  let  us  see  if  you  can  tell  something  about  this 
most  precious  of  all  God’s  gifts  to  the  first  man. 
What  was  this  most  precious  gift? 

It  was  the  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s 
brightness  and  beauty. 

Was  the  first  man  better  and  brighter  because  God 
gave  him  this  most  precious  gift,  or  would  he  have 
been  just  the  same  without  it? 

The  first  man  was  better  and  brighter 
because  God  gave  him  this  most  pre¬ 
cious  gift. 

2Of  course  it  is  understood  that  by  the  expression,  “the  most  precious  gift  of  shar¬ 
ing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty,”  as  used  in  this  lesson,  is  meant  “grace.” 

We  quote  the  definition  of  grace  as  given  in  the  Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 
“But  grace  according  to  the  definition  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  a  definition  to 
which,  under  pain  of  anathema,  we  are  bound  to  defer, — not  only  remits  sin,  but  is 
also  a  divine  quality  inherent  in  the  soul,  and,  as  it  were,  a  brilliant  light  that  effaces 
all  those  sins  which  obscure  the  lustre  of  the  soul,  and  invests  it  with  increased  bright¬ 
ness  and  beauty .” 

It  does  not  seem  advisable  to  use  the  word  grace  in  this  lesson. 

For  the  term,  “sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty,”  seems  to  convey  to  the 
young  learner  a  clearer  idea  of  what  is  meant  by  grace. 

f  Page  16  ] 


GOD’S  IMAGE  AND  LIKENESS 


Because  he  had  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in 
God’s  brightness  and  beauty,  the  first  man  was  more 
like  Someone.  Whom  was  he  more  like4? 

He  was  more  like  God. 

Because  God  gave  the  first  man  the  most  precious  gift 
of  sharing  in  His  brightness  and  beauty,  Whose  child 
was  the  first  man4? 

The  first  man  was  God’s  child. 

As  a  child  of  God,  where  did  the  first  man  belong4? 

Asa  child  of  God,  he  belonged  in  heaven 

with  God. 

Now  let  us  review  what  we  have  been  learning  about 
the  five  wonderful  gifts. 

Which  gift  is  the  home  for  all  the  other  gifts4? 

The  body. 

I 

Which  gift  made  it  possible  for  the  first  man  to  think"? 

The  mind . 

Which  gift  made  it  possible  for  the  first  man  to  re¬ 
member? 

The  memory . 

Which  gift  made  it  possible  for  the  first  man  to  choose? 

The  will. 


[  Page  1 7  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Which  gift  made  the  first  man  a  child  of  God1? 

The  most  precious  gift. 

Why  is  it  called  the  most  precious  gift? 

It  is  called  the  most  precious  gift ,  be¬ 
cause  it  is  the  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s 
brightness  and  beauty . 

In  the  beginning  of  the  lesson  we  talked  about  what 
God  said  when  He  created  the  first  man. 

What  did  He  say? 

God  said:  “Let  us  make  man  to  our  im¬ 
age  and  likeness ’’  (Genesis  1:26). 

Now  that  you  have  learned  about  God’s  gifts  to  the 
first  man  it  will  be  very  easy  for  you  to  understand 
what  this  means. 

For  man  is  said  to  be  made  to  the  image  and  likeness 
of  God,  especially  because  he  has  a  memory,  a  mind, 
a  will  and  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s 
brightness  and  beauty. 

Now,  let  us  see  if  you  can  answer  the  question:  What 
do  we  mean  when  we  say  that  man  is  made  to  the 
image  and  likeness  of  God? 

We  mean  that  he  has  a  memory ,  a 
mind ,  a  will  and  the  most  precious  gift 
of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and 

beauty. 


god; s  image  and  likeness 

Let  us  now  see  if  we  have  any  gifts  like  those  which 
God  gave  to  the  first  man. 

First  think  about  the  gift  which  was  to  be  like  a  home 
or  temple  for  all  his  other  gifts. 

Have  we  such  a  gift  or  not? 

Yes,  we  have . 

What  gift  did  God  give  the  first  man  that  made  it  pos¬ 
sible  for  him  to  remember? 

The  memory. 

Tell  me  something  you  saw  this  morning. 

Tell  me  anything  which  you  did  last  week. 

Then  what  gift  has  God  given  you  which  makes  it 
possible  for  you  to  remember? 

A  memory. 

What  gift  did  God  give  the  first  man  that  made  it 
possible  for  him  to  think? 

A  mind. 

Suppose  you  want  to  write  a  letter  to  someone. 

Of  course  you  must  have  a  pencil  or  a  pen,  ink  and 
paper. 

But  before  you  begin  to  write, — that  is,  before  you 
know  just  what  you  are  going  to  say  in  the  letter, 
what  must  you  do? 

/  must  think. 


[  Page  19  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


You  know  that  in  school  the  teacher  often  gives  you 
hard  problems  in  arithmetic. 

What  must  you  do  to  find  the  correct  answer? 

I  must  think . 

Then  what  wonderful  gift  has  God  given  you  which 
makes  it  possible  for  you  to  think? 

A  mind . 

Which  gift  did  God  give  the  first  man  that  made  it 
possible  for  him  to  choose? 

A  will. 

Suppose  you  had  some  money  to  spend. 

You  wanted  to  buy  candy. 

What  kind  of  candy  would  you  buy? 

Why  would  you  buy  that  kind  of  candy? 

Suppose  your  mother  had  a  box  of  pictures. 

And  she  told  you  to  take  one  of  the  pictures. 

Which  picture  would  you  take? 


What  you  did  when  you  picked  out  the  candy  and  the 
picture  you  liked  best  is  called  choosing. 

I  hen  what  wonderful  gift  has  God  given  you  that 
makes  it  possible  for  you  to  choose? 

A  will. 


[  Page  20  ] 


GOD’S  IMAGE  AND  LIKENESS 


Now  let  us  think  about  the  most  wonderful  and  the 
most  valuable  of  all  God’s  gifts  to  the  first  man. 
What  was  this  gift4? 

It  was  the  most  precious  gift  of  shar¬ 
ing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty . 

God  gave  this  most  precious  gift  to  the  first  man 
when  He  created  him. 

But  God  did  not  give  you  this  most  precious  gift  when 
He  created  you. 

He  gave  it  ,to  you  at  another  time. 

God  gave  you  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in 
His  brightness  and  beauty  when  you  were  baptized. 

When  the  first  man  was  given  the  most  precious  gift 
he  became  a  child  of  God. 

So  then,  when  you  were  baptized  and  received  the 
most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and 
beauty,  what  did  you  become  to  God4? 

I  became  a  child  of  God. 

You  know  that  any  child  belongs  in  his  father’s  home. 
So,  when  anyone  is  baptized  and  becomes  a  loving 
child  of  Our  Heavenly  Father,  where  does  he  belong"? 

He  belongs  in  heaven  with  our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father. 


[  Page  21  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 

✓ 

Now,  besides  the  body,  tell  how  many  other  gifts  we 
have  like  those  which  God  gave  to  the  first  man. 

Four  gifts. 

Name  these  four  gifts. 

The  memory,  the  mind,  the  will  and  the 
most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s 
brightness  and  beauty. 

GOD’S  IMAGE  AND  LIKENESS  IN  US 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 

What  is  said  about  the  first  man,  especially  because 
he  had  a  memory,  a  mind,  a  will  and  the  most  precious 
gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty? 

It  is  said  that  he  was  made  to  the  image 
and  likeness  of  God . 

And  because  you  have  a  memory,  a  mind,  a  will  and 
the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness 
and  beauty,  what  can  be  said  about  you? 

It  can  be  said  that  I  am  made  to  the  im¬ 
age  and  likeness  of  God. 

In  the  beginning  of  this  lesson  we  said  that  we  were 
going  to  learn  why  we  are  called  “chief  creatures  of 
God.” 


[  Page  22  ] 


GOD’S  IMAGE  AND  LIKENESS 


You  have  just  learned  that  we  are  made  to  the  image 
and  likeness  of  God. 

Now,  why  do  you  think  we  are  called  “chief  creatures 
of  God”? 

We  are  called  “ chief  creatures  of  God" 
because  we  are  made  to  the  image  and 

likeness  of  God . 

That  part  of  you  which  God  created  especially  to  His 
image  and  likeness  is  called  your  soul. 

We  say  that  the  memory,  the  mind  and  the  will  are 
powers  of  the  soul. 

And  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  bright¬ 
ness  and  beauty  makes  it  easier  for  us 
To  remember  God, 

To  think  about  God  and  to  know  Him, 

To  choose  God  and  to  love  Him. 


Summary 

Now  let  us  review  what  we  have. been  learning  about 
God’s  image  and  likeness  in  our  souls. 

Besides  the  body,  name  three  other  gifts  which  God 
gave  you  when  He  created  you. 

God  gave  me  a  mind ,  a  memory  and  a 

will. 

When  did  you  receive  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing 
in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty? 

/  received  this  most  precious  gift  when 

/  was  baptized. 


[  Page  23 ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Why  is  it  said  that  you  are  made  to  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God'? 

It  is  said  that  I  am  made  to  the  image 
and  likeness  of  God  because  I  have  a 
memory ,  a  mind ,  a  will ,  and  the  most 
precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God's  bright¬ 
ness  and  beauty . 

What  name  is  given  to  that  part  of  you  which  God 
created  especially  to  His  own  image  and  likeness4? 

That  part  of  me  which  God  created  es¬ 
pecially  to  His  own  image  and  likeness 

is  called  my  Soul. 

Among  all  the  creatures  living  upon  this  earth,  we 
are  the  only  ones  made  to  the  image  and  likeness  of 
God.  And  because  of  this,  what  are  we  called'? 

We  are  called  “ chief  creatures  of  God ? 


You  have  learned  that  when  you  were  baptized  you 
became  a  child  of  God. 

And  we  know  that  God  our  Father  loves  us  more  than 
anyone  else  ever  could  love  us. 

Do  you  think  that  God,  Our  Loving  Father,  wants 
and  expects  us  to  think  about  Him  and  to  talk  to  Him 
often  during  the  day,  or  only  once  in  a  while4? 

I  think  that  God  wants  and  expects  us 
to  think  about  Him  and  to  talk  to  Him 
often  during  the  day. 


[  Page  24  ] 


I 


GOD’S  IMAGE  AND  LIKENESS 

Do  you  think  that  any  child  who  loves  Our  Heavenly 
Father  would  be  likely  to  think  about  Him  many 
times  during  the  day,  or  only  once  in  a  while? 

Any  child  who  loves  Our  Heavenly 
Father  would  be  likely  to  think  about 
Him  many  times  during  the  day. 


Since  God  is  Our  Loving  Father,  Whom  should  we 
ask  for  anything  we  need? 

We  should  ask  God  for  anything  we 

need. 

In  our  last  lesson  we  learned  some  verses  from  the 
46th  Psalm. 

Let  us  repeat  these  verses : 


[  Page  25  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


“Sing  praises  to  our  God,  sing  ye: 

Sing  praises  to  our  King,  sing  ye: 

For  God  is  the  King  of  all  the  earth.” 

(Psalm  46:  7,  8.) 

You  see  that  God  our  Father  is  King  of  all  the  earth. 
And  we  are  His  children. 

You  know  what  the  children  of  the  King  are  called. 
What  are  the  boys  called? 

The  boys  are  called  princes. 

What  are  the  girls  called? 

The  girls  are  called  princesses. 


You,  who  are  God’s  children,  are  the  children  of  “the 
King  of  all  the  earth.” 


You  are  really  princes  and  princesses  of  God’s  King¬ 
dom. 

[  Page  26  ] 


GOD’S  IMAGE  AND  LIKENESS 


But  in  order  to  be  pleasing  to  God,  our  King,  you 
must  act  in  the  way  that  God  our  King  wants  and 
expects  you  to  act. 

Should  a  prince  or  princess  of  God’s  Kingdom  be  brave 
or  cowardly? 

A  prince  or  princess  of  God's  Kingdom 

should  be  brave. 

Tell  some  occasions  when  it  might  be  hard  to  be  brave. 

Should  a  prince  or  princess  of  God’s  Kingdom  be 
truthful  or  untruthful? 

A  prince  or  princess  of  God's  Kingdom 

should  be  truthful. 

Tell  when  it  might  be  very  hard  to  be  truthful. 

Should  a  prince  or  princess  of  God’s  Kingdom  be  kind 
and  gentle,  or  unkind  and  rough? 

A  prince  or  princess  of  God's  Kingdom 
should  be  kind  and  gentle. 

Tell  when  it  might  be  easier  to  be  unkind  and  rough 
than  to  be  kind  and  gentle. 

If  it  were  necessary  for  any  child  of  God’s  Kingdom 
to  die  for  our  King,  do  you  think  he  should  do  it,  or 
not? 

If  it  were  necessary ,  any  child  of  God's 
Kingdom  should  die  for  our  King. 


[  Page  27  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Who  always  knows  when  it  is  hard  for  us  to  be  brave 
or  truthful,  or  kind  and  gentle1? 

God  always  knows. 

If  we  want  Our  Loving  Father  to  help  us  to  be  brave 
or  truthful,  or  kind  and  gentle,  what  must  we  do? 

We  must  ask  Him  to  help  us. 

Review  Ouestions 

‘V 

What  did  God  say  when  He  created  the  first  man? 

Why  is  it  said  that  man  is  made  to  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God?  ' 

When  the  first  man  was  created,  he  received  the  most 
precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and 
beauty.  When  did  you  receive  this  most  precious 
gift? 

Why  are  we  called  “chief  creatures  of  God?” 


[  Page  28  ] 


GOD  IS  ALMIGHTY 


Lesson  III. 

You  have  learned  that  you  belong  to  God,  first  of  all 
because  He  created  you. 

And  because  God  created  you,  what  do  you  call 
Him? 

I  call  God  Creator. 

You  have  learned  that  you  belong  to  God  as  H  is 
child ,  because  you  have  the  most  precious  gift  of  shar¬ 
ing  in  His  brightness  and  beauty. 

And  because  you  are  His  child,  what  do  you  call  God4? 

/  call  God  Father . 

Now  you  know  two  names  for  God.  Tell  these  two 
names. 

Creator  and  Father. 

To  help  you  learn  more  about  God  our  Creator  and 
loving  Father,  I  am  going  to  tell  you  the  story  about 
something  that  God  did  thousands  of  years  ago. 

Thousands  of  years  ago  the  people  on  the  earth  be¬ 
came  very,  very  wicked. 

They  were  so  wicked  that  God  said  He  was  sorry  He 
had  made  them. 

[  Page  29  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


He  said  He  would  destroy  all  of  them. 

But  Noe  “found  grace  with  God,” — that  is,  Noe  was 
very  pleasing  to  God. 

So  God  spared  Noe  and  his  family  in  this  way: 

God  told  Noe  just  how  to  build  a  big  house-boat 
called  an  ark. 


And  when  the  ark  was  built,  God  told  Noe  to  go  into 
the  ark  with  his  family  and  two  of  every  kind  of  living 
creature. 

Then  there  came  a  great  deluge  or  flood  of  water. 

It  rained  and  rained  so  long  and  so  hard  that  the  wa¬ 
ter  covered  the  land  and  destroyed  all  except  those 
who  were  safe  in  the  ark. 

(Genesis  6-7-8.) 


Who  is  the  only  One  mighty  and  powerful  enough  to 
have  saved  Noe  and  his  family  in  this  way? 

[  Page  30  ] 


GOD  IS  ALMIGHTY 


Now  you  tell  the  story  of  the  great  flood,  and  how 
God  saved  Noe. 

Let  me  tell  you  another  story  which  will  also  show 
that  God  is  mighty  and  powerful. 


At  one  time,  when  God’s  chosen  people  were  living 
in  the  Land  of  Egypt,  the  Egyptian  king  treated  them 
very,  very  cruelly. 

They  were  like  slaves. 

The  people  begged  God  to  save  them. 

And  God  promised  that  He  would  save  them. 

Moses  was  the  leader  of  God’s  chosen  people. 

And  from  time  to  time  God  sent  Moses  to  the  Egyp¬ 
tian  king  with  messages,  begging  him  not  to  be  so 
cruel  to  the  chosen  people,  and  to  allow  them  to  wor¬ 
ship  God  in  their  own  way. 

But  the  king  was  hard-hearted,  and  would  not  heed 
God’s  messages. 

So  after  a  while  God  did  something  to  punish  the 
Egyptians  and  their  king. 

This  is  what  God  did  to  punish  them. 

All  the  waters  of  the  rivers  were  changed  into  blood. 
All  the  fish  died. 

And,  when  the  Egyptians  drank  of  the  water,  they 
became  sick. 

(Exodus  7:15-25.) 

[  Page  31  ] 


T  HE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Of  course,  after  this  the  Egyptian  king  was  sorry,  and 
promised  to  do  all  that  Moses  asked. 

But  lie  did  not  keep  his  word. 

So,  in  order  to  punish  the  Egyptians  and  their  cruel 
king,  God  sent  a  plague  of  frogs. 

Frogs  were  everywhere. 

They  filled  all  the  land,  the  rivers,  the  houses,  the 
places  where  the  people  slept,  and  even  the  ovens  in 
which  the  food  was  cooked. 

There  must  have  been  millions  and  millions  of  frogs. 
And  the  people  could  do  nothing  to  make  them  go 
away. 

Again  the  Egyptian  king  promised  to  let  the  chosen 
people  worship  God  in  their  own  way. 

Then  the  plague  of  frogs  ceased. 

(Exodus  8:2-15.) 

But  after  a  while  the  Egyptian  king  again  forgot  his 
promise. 

He  treated  God’s  chosen  people  more  cruelly  than 
ever. 

So  God  sent  other  plagues  to  .punish  the  Egyptians 
and  their  king. 

He  sent  a  plague  called  the  plague  of  darkness. 

The  whole  land  of  Egypt  was  covered  with  a  horri¬ 
ble  darkness. 

It  was  so  dark  that  no  Egyptian  could  see  anyone  or 

[  Page  32  ]  i  '  I 


GOD  IS  ALMIGHTY 


anything,  and  not  one  of  them  could  move  from  the 
place  in  which  he  was. 

But  it  was  not  so  with  God’s  chosen  people. 

There  was  no  darkness  where  they  were. 

They  could  see  and  move  about  just  the  same  as  be¬ 
fore.  (Exodus  10:2-29.) 

Who  is  the  only  One  mighty  and  powerful  enough  to 
punish  the  Egyptians  in  this  way? 

What  do  all  of  these  stories  teach  us  about  God? 

These  stories  teach  us  that  God  is 
mighty  and  powerful. 

Now  you  tell  how  the  cruel  Egyptians  were  punished 
by  the  different  plagues. 

Let  me  tell  you  another  story  about  God’s  chosen 
people  and  the  cruel  Egyptians. 

What  I  am  going  to  tell  you  happened  while  Moses 
was  leading  the  chosen  people  out  of  the  Land  of 
Egypt  so  that  they  might  be  free  from  the  cruel  Egyp¬ 
tians,  and  could  then  worship  God  in  the  way  that  God 
wanted  them  to  worship  Him. 

Of  course,  the  Egyptians  did  not  want  them  to  escape. 
So  they  pursued  God’s  chosen  people. 

The  chosen  people  were  encamped  on  the  shores  of 

[  Page  33  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


the  Red  Sea,  when  suddenly  they  saw  the  Egyptian 
king  and  his  army  following  them. 

Of  course,  the  chosen  people  were  very  much  afraid. 
They  prayed  to  God  to  help  them. 

And  God  heard  their  prayer. 

He  told  Moses  to  lead  them  forward. 

This  meant  that  the  chosen  people  had  to  cross  the 
Red  Sea. 

But  they  had  no  boats. 

And  the  sea  was  too  ,big  and  deep  and  dangerous  for 
them  to  swim  across  it. 

But  just  then  something  startling  happened. 

The  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  divided  and  rolled  back 
on  either  side. 

So  there  was  a  dry  path  through  the  middle  of  the  sea. 
Then  God’s  chosen  people  marched  on  dry  land  across 
the  Red  Sea. 

But  as  soon  as  the  Egyptians  started  to  follow  them 
on  the  dry  path,  the  waters  rolled  back  into  place. 
And  the  whole  Egyptian  army  was  drowned. 

But  God’s  chosen  people  reached  the  other  side  in 
safety.  (Exodus  14:9-31.) 


Who  is  the  only  One  mighty  and  powerful  enough  to 
have  saved  the  chosen  people  in  this  way? 


You  have  been  learning  about  mighty  things  which 
only  God  can  do. 

[  Page  34  ] 


GOD  IS  ALMIGHTY 


Can  you  think  of  anything  that  God  is  not  mighty 
and  powerful  enough  to  do? 

Then,  how  mighty  and  powerful  is  God? 

God  is  mighty  and  powerful  enough  to 

do  all  things . 


Find  the  question  in  your  Catechism  which  asks:  “Can 
God  do  all  things?” 

Memorize  the  answer  to  this  question. 


We  have  one  word  which  means  that  God  is  mighty 
and  powerful  enough  to  do  all  things,  and  that  noth¬ 
ing  is  hard  or  impossible  to  Him. 

The  word  is  Almighty. 

Now  tell  the  new  word  you  have  learned,  and  what 
it  means. 

Who  is  Almighty? 

God  is  Almighty. 


Summary 

Before  beginning  this  lesson,  you  knew  that  God  is 
our  Creator  and  loving  Father. 


[  Page  35  ] 


T  HE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


And  now  you  know  something  else  about  God. 
What  have  you  learned  in  this  lesson  about  God? 

I  have  learned  that  God  is  Almighty. 


There  is  a  prayer  which  begins  by  telling  God  that 
we  believe  He  is  our  Creator ,  our  Father ,  and  that  He 
is  Almighty . 

This  prayer  is  called  “ The  Apostles  Creed.” 

Let  us  memorize  the  beginning  of  The  Apostles’  Creed. 

“I  believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty, 
Creator  of  heaven  and  earth.” 

Let  us  try  to  say  this  part  of  The  Apostles’  Creed 
every  day,  and  especially  every  morning  and  evening. 

Now  let  us  think  for  a  while  about  another  prayer, — 
the  most  perfect  of  all  prayers. 

Which  prayer  is  the  most  perfect  of  all  prayers? 

The  Lord's  Prayer  is  the  most  perfect 

of  all  prayers. 

No  doubt  your  mother  has  taught  you  The  Lord’s 
Prayer  and  you  already  know  it.  But  perhaps  you  do 

f  Page  36  ] 


GOD  IS  ALMIGHTY 


not  know  why  it  is  called  The  Lord’s  Prayer.  This 
you  will  learn  in  another  lesson. 


Whenever  we  pray  we  speak  to  someone. 

And  in  The  Lord’s  Prayer  to  Whom  do  we  speak? 

We  speak  to  Our  Heavenly  Father . 

In  The  Lord’s  Prayer  when  we  are  speaking  to  Our 
Heavenly  Father  what  do  we  say? 

We  say:  “Our  Father  Who  art  in 

heaven ” 

Who  is  the  great  King  of  all  the  earth? 

Our  Heavenly  Father  is  the  great  King 

of  all  the  earth. 

We  who  are  the  children  of  the  King  should  love  Him 
so  much  that  we  want  His  Name  to  be  praised  and 
honored  everywhere  on  the  whole  earth. 


And  every  day  we  should  pray  that  everyone  will 
praise  and  honor  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  Name. 

[  Page  37  ] 


H  -  W 

THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 

In  The  Lord’s  Prayer  when  we  ask  that  Our  Heaven¬ 
ly  Father’s  Name  may  be  praised  and  honored  every¬ 
where  on  the  whole  earth,  what  do  we  say? 

We  say:  “Hallowed  be  Thy  name T 

Say  The  Lord’s  Prayer  from  the  beginning. 


We  know  that  as  long  as  we  possess  the  most  precious 
gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty,  we 
are  the  princes  and  princesses  of  Our  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther’s  kingdom. 

And  if  we  are  loyal  and  true  and  loving  princes  and 
princesses,  we  want  to  do  everything  in  our  power 
to  make  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  kingdom  grow  and 
grow. 

As  more  and  more  souls  possess  the  most  precious  gift 
of  sharing  in  His  brightness  and  beauty,  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father’s  kingdom  will  grow  find  grow. 

So,  every  day  we  should  pray  to  Our  Heavenly  Father 
to  give  us  and  everyone  else  on  earth  more  and  more 
of  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  His  brightness 
and  beauty. 

In  The  Lord’s  Prayer  when  we  pray  that  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father’s  kingdom  may  grow  and  grow,  what  do 
we  say? 

We  say:  “Thy  kingdom  comeT 

Let  us  say  The  Lord’s  Prayer  from  the  beginning. 

[  Page  38  ] 


BOSTON  college-  LIBRAS' 
chestnut  hill,  vass. 

GOD  IS  ALMIGHTY 

While  we  are  here  in  God’s  earthly  kingdom,  there 
is  only  one  way  for  us  to  be  happy. 

And  this  way  is  by  always  trying  to  do  whatever  Our 
Heavenly  Father  wants  us  to  do. 

When  we  always  try  to  do  whatever  Our  Heavenly 
Father  wants  us  to  do,  we  are  His  loyal  and  true  and 
loving  children. 

And,  of  course,  every  loyal,  and  true,  and  loving  child 
of  God  wants  very  much  to  see  everyone  else  doing 
whatever  God  wants  him  to  do, — that  is,  doing  Our 
Heavenly  Father  s  will . 


In  The  Lord’s  Prayer  when  we  ask  that  everyone  on 
earth  may  do  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  will  as  it  is 
done  in  heaven,  what  do  we  say4? 

We  say:  “ Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as 

it  is  in  heaven  ” 

Now  let  us  say  The  Lord’s  Prayer  from  the  beginning. 

Review  Ouestions 

What  is  the  word  which  means  that  nothing  is  hard 
or  impossible  to  God4? 

Tell  a  story  which  shows  that  God  is  mighty  and 
powerful . 


[  Page  39  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


In  The  Lord’s  Prayer  to  Whom  do  we  speak4? 

What  do  we  mean  when  we  say  to  Our  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther:  “Hallowed  be  Thy  name4?” 

In  The  Lord’s  Prayer  when  we  pray  that  everyone 
may  belong  to  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  Kingdom,  what 
do  we  say4? 

What  do  we  mean  when  we  say  to  Our  Heavenly 
Father:  “Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven?” 

Why  do  we  say  that  we  are  made  to  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God?  (See  Lesson  II.) 


[  Page  40  ] 


GOD  IS  ALL-KNOWING 


Lesson  IV. 

% 

Before  beginning  Lesson  IV.,  let  us  say  what  we 
know  of  The  Lord’s  Prayer  and  The  Apostles’  Creed. 


Tell  one  of  the  stories  you  learned  in  your  last  lesson, 
which  shows  us  that  God  is  mighty  and  powerful. 

(Any  one  of  the  stories  told  in  Lesson 

III.) 

Who  is  the  only  One  mighty  and  powerful  enough  to 
have  done  what  this  story  tells  us? 

God  is  the  only  One. 

You  have  also  learned  that  God  by  His  power  made 
heaven  and  earth  and  all  things  out  of  nothing. 

Who  is  the  only  One  who  has  the  power  to  make 
things  out  of  nothing? 

God  is  the  only  One  who  has  the  power 
to  make  things  out  of  nothing. 

You  have  learned  a  word  which  tells  how  powerful 
and  mighty  God  is.  What  is  the  word? 

The  word  is  Almighty. 


[  Page  41  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Now  let  us  try  to  learn  something  more  about  God. 

You  know  that  when  God  created  you  He  gave  you 
many  wonderful  gifts. 

When  you  think ,  you  use  one  of  these  wonderful 
gifts.  Which  gift  do  you  use? 

I  use  my  mind . 

Think  about  something  very  interesting  that  you  did 
last  summer. 

Can  anyone  see  what  you  are  thinking? 

No  one  can  see  what  I  am  thinking . 

If  you  want  anyone  to  know  what  you  are  thinking, 
what  must  you  do? 

I  must  tell  what  I  am  thinking. 

Suppose  you  think  for  a  while  about  a  surprise  party 
you  are  planning  to  give  your  friends. 

You  are  using  your  mind. 

Is  anyone  able  to  see  what  thoughts  are  in  your  mind 
about  the  surprise  party? 

N o  one  is  able  to  see  what  thoughts  are 

in  my  mind. 

Unless  you  tell,  could  any  of  your  friends  know  what 
thoughts  are  in  your  mind? 

They  could  not  know  what  thoughts 

are  in  my  mind. 


[  Page  42  ] 


GOD  IS  ALL-KNOWING 


You  have  learned  that  there  is  One  Who  has  the 
power  to  do  all  things.  Who  has  the  power  to  do  all 
things? 

God  has  the  power  to  do  all  things. 

God  also  knows  all  things. 

So  God  always  sees  and  knows  all  that  is  going  on  in 
your  mind. 

And  God  always  sees  and  knows  all  the  thoughts  of 
everyone. 


Now,  let  me  tell  you  a  story  which  perhaps  will  help 
you  to  find  out  something  more  about  what  God  sees 
and  knows. 

Jack  is  nine  years  old. 

This  is  his  first  year  at  the  military  school. 

One  day  all  the  boys  are  invited  to  go  to  a  special 
moving  picture. 

The  moving  picture  is  to  be  given  in  the  village,  and 
the  boys  are  to  go  in  uniform,  marching  as  if  on  parade. 
The  bugle  sounds  and  all  the  boys  form  in  line. 

Jack  is  the  leader  of  a  group  of  about  one  hundred 
boys. 

So  it  is  quickly  noticed  that  Jack  is  not  there. 

A  teacher  finds  Jack  all  alone  in  his  room,  and  asks 
him  why  he  is  not  in  line  with  the  other  boys. 

[  Page  43  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Jack  says  that  he  has  decided  not  to  go  to  the  moving 
picture. 

Then  the  teacher  asks  Jack  some  questions  such  as 
these : 

“Are  vou  sick.  Jack?” 

*  J 

“Don’t  you  like  the  moving  pictures?” 


Jack  answers  that  he  is  not  sick,  and  he  likes  moving 
pictures  very  much,  but  he  has  chosen  to  stay  at  home. 
The  teacher  reminds  Jack  that  he  will  be  all  alone  in 
the  building,  and  says : 


“Hurry  along,  Jack.  You  are  keeping  all  the  other 
boys  waiting.” 


Jack  insists  that  he  chooses  to  stay  at  home,  and  he 
does  not  tell  this  teacher  or  the  other  boys  the  reason. 
But  there  is  another  teacher  who  is  more  friendly  with 
Jack,  and  understands  him  better  than  the  others. 

[  Page  44  ] 


GOD  IS  ALL-KNOWING 


When  this  teacher  asks  Jack  why  he  chooses  to  stay  at 
home,  Jack  tells  the  reason.  He  says: 

“This  is  the  day  ,Our  Lord  died.  Do  you  think  that 
I  am  going  to  the  moving  pictures6?” 

Then  the  music  begins,  the  other  boys  march  off,  and 
Jack  is  happy  in  doing  what  he  has  chosen  to  do. 

Until  Jack  told  them  the  reason,  could  the  teachers 
or  the  other  boys  know  why  he  had  chosen  to  stay  at 
home  ? 

They  could  not  know  why  Jack  had 
chosen  to  stay  at  home. 

But  Someone  could  see  and  know  how  Jack  was  using 
his  will  to  chose  or  decide . 

Who  knew ,  without  being  told,  why  Jack  had  chosen 
to  stay  at  home  and  not  go  to  the  moving  pictures'? 

God  knew. 


Now  you  have  learned  that  there  is  only  One  who 
can  see  and  know  how  we  are  using  our  minds  and 
our  wills. 

Who  always  sees  and  knows,  without  being  told,  ev- 

[  Page  45  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


erything  that  is  going  on  in  our  minds, — that  is,  all 
of  our  thoughts? 

God  sees  and  knows ,  without  being  told, 
all  that  is  going  on  in  our  minds. 

Who  always  sees  and  knows ,  without  being  told,  how 
each  one  of  us  is  choosing  or  deciding? 

God  always  sees  and  knows,  without 
being  told,  how  each  one  of  us  is  choos¬ 
ing  or  deciding. 

Now  let  me  tell  you  two  stories  which  will  help  you 
to  understand  something  else  God  sees  and  knows. 

One  day,  after  school,  some  little  children  were  hur¬ 
rying  along  to  their  catechism  club. 

A  sister  was  at  the  door  to  greet  the  children  as  they 
arrived. 

She  noticed  that  little  Joseph  held  a  piece  of  paper 
tightly  in  his  hand,  and  looked  happier  than  usual. 
“What  are  you  holding  so  tightly,  Joseph?”  she 
asked. 

Little  Joseph  looked  up  with  a  big  smile. 

He  gave  the  paper  to  the  sister,  and  said:  “Sister, 
I  just  showed  this  to  Jesus.” 

The  sister  took  the  crumpled  paper,  and  asked: 
“What  is  this,  Joseph?” 

“That  is  my  first  composition  in  ink.  I  took  it  right 
into  the  Church  before  I  came  to  the  club.” 

[  Page  46  ] 


GOD  IS  ALL-KNOWING 


There  seemed  to  be  no  one  in  the  Church  when  Jo¬ 
seph  ran  up  to  the  altar  with  his  “first  composition 
in  ink.” 

But  Joseph  knew  that  Someone  was  there  Who 
would  be  pleased  to  see  him. 

Who  was  pleased  to  see  little  Joseph  coming  with  his 
composition? 

God  was  pleased  to  see  little  Joseph. 


The  other  story  is  about  Teresa. 

Teresa  lived  in  the  country. 

She  went  to  the  country  school. 

The  school  was  small,  and  there  were  not  enough 
teachers  for  every  class. 

So  the  principal  left  Teresa’s  class  in  the  room,  with¬ 
out  any  teacher,  most  of  the  time. 

All  the  boys  and  girls  in  the  class  promised  that  if 
they  whispered  or  laughed  out  loud  they  would  write 
a  little  note  to  the  principal,  telling  him  the  truth 
about  it. 

This  note  was  to  be  handed  to  the  principal  when  the 
children  passed  out  at  the  close  of  school. 

Every  day  all  the  boys  and  girls  of  this  class  whis¬ 
pered  and  laughed  out  loud. 

But  only  one  did  as  she  had  promised. 

Teresa  chose  to  keep  her  promise  and  write  the  note 
because  she  had  been  taught  that  there  is  One  Who 
always  knozvs  whether  we  keep  our  promises  or  not. 


[  Page  47  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Who  knew  that  all  the  boys  and  girls  of  that  class  had 
whispered  and  laughed  out  loud,  and  that  only  Teresa 
had  kept  her  promise? 

God  knew . 

Who  always  knows  all  that  everyone  does ? 

God  always  knows  all  that  everyone 

does . 

1  hus  far  you  have  been  learning  what  God  alone  sees 
and  knows  about  our  minds ,  our  wills ,  and  our  actions . 

I  ell  what  God  alone  sees  and  knows  about  our  minds . 

God  alone  sees  and  knows  all  that  we 

are  thinking. 

What  does  God  alone  see  and  know  about  our  wills? 

God  alone  sees  and  knows  all  that  we 
are  choosing  or  deciding. 

\ 

Who  always  sees  and  knows  our  actions  even  when  no 
one  else  can  see  or  hear  us? 

God  always  sees  and  knows  our  actions , 
even  when  no  one  else  can  see  or  hear 

us. 


1  o  help  you  to  learn  one  thing  more  about  what  God 

sees  and  knows,  I  shall  tell  you  a  story  about  a  little 
girl  called  Mary. 

[  Page  48  ] 


GOD  IS  ALL-KNOWING 


Mary  had  enough  food  to  eat  and  enough  clothes  to 
wear,  but  she  was  a  poor  girl. 

That  is,  her  mother  could  not  afford  to  give  her  any 
spending  money. 

One  day  when  Mary  was  going  to  school,  she  met  an¬ 
other  little  girl.  This  little  girl  was  much  poorer  than 
Mary. 

Her  shoes  had  holes  in  them  and  her  dress  was  quite 
ragged. 

Mary  wanted  to  be  kind  to  this  little  girl,  and  longed 
to  help  her. 


Of  course,  Mary  had  no  money  to  give  the  little  girl, 
and  she  knew  that  her  mother  had  no  extra  shoes  or 
clothes  at  home  which  could  be  given  away. 

All  that  Mary  had  was  a  flower. 

So  she  quickly  went  up  to  the  little  girl,  gave  her  the 
flower,  and  said  some  kind  words  to  her. 

[  Page  49  ] 


V 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


This  made  the  little  girl  very  happy. 

Long  after  the  pretty  flower  had  faded,  she  remem¬ 
bered  the  kind  words  which  Mary  had  spoken. 


The  little  girls  had  not  seen  anyone  while  they  were 
talking,  but  Someone  was  present  Who  heard  Mary’s 
kind  words ,  and  was  also  pleased. 

Who  heard  Mary’s  kind  words? 

God  heard  Mary  s  kind  words . 

Who  hears  and  knows  every  word  that  everyone 
speaks. 

God  hears  and  knows  every  word  that 

everyone  speaks. 


Summary 

You  have  been  learning  many  things  that  God  alone 
knows  about  our  minds,  our  wills,  our  actions,  and 
our  words. 

I  ell  what  God  knows  (a)  about  our  minds;  (b) 
about  our  wills;  (c)  about  our  actions;  (d)  about 
our  words. 

God  alone  knows  all  that  everyone 
thinks;  all  that  everyone  chooses  or  de¬ 
cides;  all  that  everyone  does;  all  that 

everyone  says. 


[  Page  50  ] 


GOD  IS  ALL-KNOWING 


Can  you  think  of  anything  anywhere  that  God  does 
not  know'? 

I  cannot  think  of  anything  anywhere 
that  God  does  not  know . 

Because  God  knows  all  about  everything  everywhere, 
it  is  said  that  God  is  Omniscient , — that  is,  God  is 
All-knowing . 

Now  you  have  learned  four  words  that  are  used  in 
speaking  of  God. 

Say  The  Apostles’  Creed  to  yourself,  and  then  tell 
the  three  words  about  God  that  are  mentioned  in 
that  prayer. 

Creator — Father — Almighty. 

Tell  the  word  which  means  that  God  knows  all  things. 

Omniscient. 

Now  say  four  words  that  are  used  in  speaking  ol  God. 

Creator  —  Father  —  Almighty  —  Om¬ 
niscient. 

Find  in  your  Catechism  the  questions: 

Does  God  see  us4? 

Does  God  know  all  things4? 

Memorize  the  answers  to  these  questions. 


[  Page  51  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


GOD  IS  ALL-KNOWING 


( Continued ) 

Second  Division 

c 

You  know  that  God  is  our  loving  Father,  as  well  as 
the  great  King  of  Heaven  and  Earth,  and  that  we 
are  his  children,  the  princes  and  princesses  of  His 
Kingdom. 

Flow  do  you  think  a  loving  child  of  God, — that  is,  a 
real  true  prince  or  princess, — feels  if  he  has  done  any¬ 
thing  which  displeases  Our  Loving  Father? 

A  real  true  prince  or  princess  feels  very 

sorry. 

When  a  prince  or  princess  of  God’s  Kingdom  does 
what  is  right,  Who  is  sure  to  be  pleased? 

Our  Heavenly  Father  is  sure  to  be 

pleased. 

Why  should  we  be  as  careful  how  we  act  when  we 
are  alone  as  when  we  are  with  others? 

We  should  be  as  careful  how  we  act 
when  we  are  alone  as  when  we  are  with 
others ,  because  Our  Heavenly  Father 
sees  and  knows  all  that  we  do. 

When  a  prince  or  princess  of  God’s  Kingdom  says 
what  is  truthful  and  kind,  Who  is  sure  to  be  pleased? 

Our  Heavenly  Father  is  sure  to  be 

pleased. 


I  Page  52  ] 


GOD  IS  ALL-KNOWING 


When  a  prince  or  princess  of  God’s  Kingdom  chooses 
or  decides  what  is  right,  Who  is  sure  to  be  pleased? 

Our  Heavenly  Father  is  sure  to  be 

pleased . 

How  do  you  think  a  real  true  prince  or  princess  feels 
if  by  his  thoughts  he  has  displeased  Our  Loving  Fa¬ 
ther? 

He  feels  very  sorry. 

In  the  last  lesson  we  studied  the  beginning  of  The 
Lord’s  Prayer. 

Now  let  us  study  more  of  this  prayer. 

We  are  sure  that  Our  Loving  Father  knows  all  that 
we  need. 

But  He  wants  and  expects  us  to  ask  Him  for  what 
we  need. 

What  do  we  need  to  make  our  bodies  grow,  and  keep 
them  well  and  strong? 

We  need  food. 

We  need  food  also  for  our  minds ,  to  make  them 
brighter  and  brighter  and  more  like  God. 

And  we  need  food  for  our  wills ,  to  make  them  strong 
enough  to  choose  what  Our  Heavenly  Father  wants 
and  expects  us  to  choose. 


[  Page  53  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


But  the  food  which  we  need  for  our  minds  and  our 
wills  is  of  a  different  kind  from  the  food  which  we 
need  for  our  bodies. 

In  The  Lord’s  Prayer  when  we  ask  Our  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther  to  give  us  the  food  we  need  each  day,  what  do 
we  say? 

We  say:  “Give  us  this  day  our  daily 

bread” 

Now  say  The  Lord’s  Prayer  from  the  beginning. 


When  we  choose  to  do  or  say  or  think  anything  which 
displeases  Our  Heavenly  Father,  we  say  that  we 
trespass  against  Him. 

And  when  those  around  us  hurt  or  injure  us  by  what 
they  do  or  say,  they  trespass  against  us. 


Now  you  tell  what  is  meant  when  we  say  that  we 
trespass  against  Our  Heavenly  Father. 

We  mean  that  we  have  chosen  to  do  or 
say  or  think  something  which  displeases 
Our  Heavenly  Father. 

When  anyone  trespasses  against  us,  what  does  this 
mean? 

It  means  that  some  one  has  said  or  done 
something  to  hurt  or  injure  us. 


[  Page  54  ] 


GOD  IS  ALL-KNOWING 


When  our  thoughts,  words,  and  actions  are  kind  and 
gentle  and  good  toward  the  one  who  trespasses 
against  us,  we  say  that  we  forgive  that  person. 

Now,  I  am  going  to  tell  you  something  which  I  think 
you  will  like  to  hear.  It  is  this: 

Our  Heavenly  Father  will  forgive  us  our  trespasses 
if,  for  His  sake ,  our  thoughts,  words  and  actions  are 
kind  and  gentle  and  good  toward  everyone  who  has 
trespassed  against  us. 


Now  you  tell  what  we  must  do,  if  we  want  Our 
Heavenly  Father  to  forgive  us  our  trespasses. 

We  must  forgive  all  who  trespass 

against  us. 

In  The  Lord’s  Prayer,  when  we  ask  Our  Heavenly 
Father  to  forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  those 
who  trespass  against  us,  what  do  we  say? 

We  say:  “Forgive  us  our  trespasses  as 
we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against 


Now  say  The  Lord’s  Prayer  from  the  beginning. 

In  the  next  lesson  we  shall  study  the  rest  of  this 
prayer. 


C  Page  SS  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Review  Questions 

When  we  say  that  God  is  Omniscient ,  what  do  we 
mean ? 

What  four  words  have  you  learned  to  use  in  speaking 
about  God? 

When  we  say  that  we  are  made  to  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God,  what  do  we  mean? 

Say  the  part  of  The  Lord's  Prayer  which  tells  Our 
Heavenly  Father  that  we  want  His  Name  to  be 
praised  and  honored  everywhere  on  the  whole  earth. 

Say  the  part  of  The  Lord's  Prayer  which  tells  Our 
Heavenly  Father  that  we  want  His  Kingdom  of 
faithful,  loyal,  loving  children  to  grow  and  grow. 

Say  the  part  of  The  Lord's  Prayer  which  tells  Our 
Heavenly  Father  that  we  want  Him  to  be  obeyed 
everywhere. 

When  we  say  to  Our  Heavenly  Father,  “Give  us  this 
day  our  daily  bread,”  for  what  other  food  do  we  ask 
besides  food  for  our  bodies? 

When  we  say  to  Our  Heavenly  Father,  “Forgive  us 
our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against 
us,”  what  does  this  mean? 

[  Page  56 ]  ) 


WHY  GOD  CREATES  US 
Lesson  V. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  V.,  let  us  say  what  you 
know  of : 

The  Lord’s  Prayer. 

The  Apostles’  Creed. 

When  you  were  created ,  God  gave  you  some  won¬ 
derful  gifts. 

Mention  these  gifts. 

The  body ,  the  mind ,  the  memory  and 

the  will. 

When  you  were  baptized ,  which  one  of  God  s  won¬ 
derful  gifts  did  you  receive? 

I  received  the  most  precious  gift  of 
sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty. 

Now,  let  us  try  to  find  out  one  reason  why  Cfod  made 
you  and  gave  you  these  wonderful  gifts. 

But  first  let  us  think  about  the  most  wonderful  and 
valuable  of  your  gifts, — that  is,  the  most  precious 
gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty. 

[  Page  57  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


This  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  bright¬ 
ness  and  beauty  helps  your  mind  to  see  that  all  bright¬ 
ness  and  beauty  are  in  God,  and  it  helps  your  will  to 
choose  God, — that  is,  to  love  Him. 

While  you  have  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in 
God’s  brightness  and  beauty  God  loves  you  very,  very 
much. 

And  our  loving  Father  wants  and  expects  you  to  use 
your  will  to  love  Him. 


So,  although  you  love  your  friends,  Whom  should 
you  always  love  much  more  than  your  friends? 

/  should  always  love  God  much  more 

than  my  friends . 

Of  course,  you  love  your  brothers  and  sisters.  But 
Whom  should  you  always  love  more  than  your  broth¬ 
ers  and  sisters? 

I  should  always  love  God  more  than  my 
brothers  and  sisters . 

You  love  your  father  and  mother  very  much  more 
than  you  love  your  friends,  or  your  brothers  and  sis¬ 
ters. 

But  Whom  should  you  love  even  more  than  you  love 
your  father  and  mother? 

I  should  love  God  even  more  than  I 
love  my  father  and  mother . 


r  Page  58  ] 


WHY  GOD  CREATES  IJS 


One  of  God’s  commandments  tells  us  how  much  He 
wants  and  expects  us  to  love  Him. 

Let  us  learn  this  commandment. 


“And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God, 
with  thy  whole  heart,  and  with  thy  whole 
soul,  and  with  thy  whole  mind,  and  w  ith 
thy  whole  strength.  This  is  the  first  com¬ 
mandment. ”  (St.  Mark  12:30.) 

(Dent.  6:  5.) 

In  the  beginning  of  the  lesson,  we  said  that  we  would 
try  to  find  out  one  reason  why  God  made  us. 

Now  that  you  know  how  much  Our  Heavenly  Father 
wants  and  expects  you  to  love  Him,  why  do  you  think 
He  made  you? 

I  think  he  made  me  to  love  Him. 

Now  perhaps  you  can  tell  one  reason  why  God  gave 
you  such  wonderful  gifts. 

God  gave  me  such  wonderful  gifts  to 
help  me  to  love  Him. 

Let  us  try  to  find  out  another  reason  why  God  made 
us. 

And  first  of  all  suppose  we  look  about  us  at  some  of 
the  things  which  God  has  made. 


f  Page  59  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


When  we  look  about  us  we  see  many  things. 

We  see  the  sky. 

What  color  is  the  sky  on  a  bright  clear  day4? 

It  is  blue. 

How  does  it  look  in  the  west  when  the  sun  is  setting4? 

It  looks  golden. 

What  do  we  sometimes  see  in  the  sky  after  a  storm? 

We  sometimes  see  a  rainbow. 

When  we  look  about  us,  perhaps  we  can  see  beauti¬ 
ful  trees. 

Let  us  think  about  the  beautiful  trees. 

When  do  the  blossoms  and  the  new  leaves  come  upon 
the  trees? 

They  come  in  spring. 

When  do  the  trees  give  the  greatest  shade? 

They  give  the  greatest  shade  in  the 

summer. 

When  do  the  leaves  turn  golden  and  brown? 

The  leaves  turn  golden  and  brown  in 

the  autumn. 

When  are  the  trees  covered  with  snow  and  ice? 

The  trees  are  covered  with  snow  and 

ice  in  the  winter. 


[  Page  60  ] 


WHY  G  O  D  CREA  T  E  S  US 


Now  let  us  think  about  the  flowers . 

Mention  some  beautiful  flowers  which  you  have  seen. 

By  thinking  of  the  sky,  the  trees,  the  flowers  and  the 
many  beautiful  things  which  God  has  made,  Whom 
do  we  know  better'? 

We  know  God  better . 

Now  let  us  try  to  find  another  way  we  can  learn  to 
know  God  better. 

Suppose  you  wanted  to  tell  Our  Heavenly  Father 
that  you  believe  in  Him. 

What  would  you  say  to  Him'? 

Suppose  you  needed  something  very  much,  what 
would  you  say  to  Our  Heavenly  Father'? 

What  else  might  you  say  when  you  talk  to  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father'? 

If  you  talk  to  Our  Heavenly  Father  every  day  about 
all  these  things,  after  a  while  Whom  will  you  learn 
to  know  better'? 

I  will  learn  to  know  God  better. 

Sometimes  others  tell  you  what  they  know  about 
God. 


[  Page  61  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


When  you  go  to  Church,  who  sometimes  tells  you 
about  God? 

The  priest  tells  me  about  God. 


At  home,  who  sometimes  tells  you  about  God? 

My  father  and  mother  tell  me  about 

God. 

At  catechism  class,  who  tells  you  about  God? 

The  teacher  tells  me  about  God . 

After  you  have  heard  what  all  these  have  said  about 
God,  Whom  do  you  learn  to  know  better? 

I  learn  to  know  God  better. 

Among  the  children  who  are  learning  about  God, 
which  child  do  you  think  is  able  to  know  Him  better, 

l  Page  62  ] 


WHY  GOD  CREATES  US 


the  one  who  has  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing 
in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty,  or  the  one  who  has 
not  this  most  precious  gift4? 

The  one  who  has  the  most  precious  gift 
of  sharing  in  God's  brightness  and 
beauty  is  able  to  know  God  better . 

You  have  already  learned  that  God  made  you  and 
gave  you  your  wonderful  gifts  to  help  you  to  love 

Him. 

Now  perhaps  you  can  tell  another  reason  why  God 
made  you  and  gave  you  these  wonderful  gifts.  What 
is  this  reason4? 

God  made  me  and  gave  me  these  won - 
derful  gifts  to  help  me  to  know  Him. 

There  is  a  third  reason  why  God  made  you  and  gave 
you  your  wonderful  gifts. 

To  help  us  find  out  this  third  reason,  let  us  first  try 
to  find  out  why  God  made  some  of  the  things  about 
us. 


In  the  very  beginning,  when  God  was  creating  the 
world,  God  wanted  light  and  heat. 

To  give  light  and  heat,  God  created  something. 
What  did  God  create4? 

God  created  the  sun. 


[  Page  63  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


You  see,  before  God  created  the  sun,  God  had  a  work 
for  the  sun  to  do, — that  is,  God  had  a  plan  for  the 
sun. 

How  does  the  sun  carry  out  God’s  plan6? 

The  sun  carries  out  God’s  plan  by 
giving  light  and  heat . 

In  this  way  the  sun  serves  God. 

So,  you  see,  God  made  the  sun  to  serve  Him. 

To  make  the  earth  beautiful,  God  created  beautiful 
things  to  grow  upon  it. 

What  did  God  create  to  grow  upon  the  earth  to  make 
it  beautiful? 

God  created  grass,  trees ,  flowers,  etc., 
to  grow  upon  the  earth  to  make  it  beau - 

tiful. 

You  see,  before  God  made  the  grass,  the  trees  and  the 
flowers,  God  had  a  plan  for  them. 

Tell  one  way  the  grass,  the  trees,  and  the  flowers 
carry  out  God’s  plan. 

One  way  they  carry  out  God’s  plan  is 
by  making  the  earth  beautiful. 

In  this  way  they  serve  God. 

[  Page  64  ] 


WHY  GOD  CREATES  US 


So,  you  see,  God  made  the  grass,  the  flowers  and  the 
trees  to  serve  Him. 

God  created  living  creatures  to  give  us  food  and 
clothing,  to  draw  heavy  loads  for  us,  and  to  help  us 
in  many  other  ways. 

Name  some  animals  which  give  us  food. 

The  cow,  etc. 

Name  some  animals  which  give  us  clothing. 

The  sheep,  etc. 

Name  some  animals  which  help  us  by  drawing  heavy 
loads. 

The  horse,  etc. 

How  do  the  cows,  sheep,  horses  and  other  animals 
carry  out  God’s  plan6? 

They  carry  out  God's  plan  by  giving  us 
food,  clothing,  drawing  heavy  loads, 

etc. 

So  you  see  the  animals  serve  God  by  carrying  out  His 
plan. 

God  has  a  plan  for  each  one  of  us  also. 

And  God’s  plan  for  each  one  of  us  is  the  special  work 
He  wants  us  to  do. 


[  Page  65  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  W  A  Y 


When  we  are  children,  God’s  plan  for  us  is  to  be 
obedient  and  helpful  at  home,  at  school,  at  play,  at 
work,  and  above  all  to  be  obedient  to  His  Church. 

When  we  carry  out  the  plan  which  God  has  for  us 
Whom  do  we  serve? 

We  serve  God . 

If  we  serve  God  well  while  we  are  children,  it  will 
not  be  hard  for  us  to  know  how  to  serve  God  later  on. 

Now  you  know  a  third  reason  why  God  made  you  and 
gave  you  your  wonderful  gifts. 

What  is  this  third  reason? 

God  made  me  and  gave  me  my  wonder¬ 
ful  gifts  to  serve  Him. 


Summary 

Tell  three  reasons  why  God  made  you  and  gave  you 
your  wonderful  gifts. 


WHY  GOD  CREATES  US 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 

Say  what  you  know  of  The  Apostles  Creed. 

“/  believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty, 
Creator  of  heaven  and  earth!' 


WHY  GOD  CREATE  S  US 


When  we  tell  God  that  we  believe  He  is  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father,  and  that  He  is  the  Creator  of  heaven 
and  earth,  we  make  an  Act  of  Faith. 

Our  Heavenly  Father  wants  and  expects  us  to  wor¬ 
ship  Him  by  Faith. 

And  it  pleases  Him  when  we  make  Acts  of  Faith  ev¬ 
ery  morning  and  evening. 

Let  us  learn  an  Act  of  Faith  written  by  Pope  Clem¬ 
ent  XI. 

“O  my  God,  I  believe  in  Thee:  Do  Thou  strengthen 
my  faith.” 


Our  Heavenly  Father  also  wants  and  expects  us  to 
worship  Him  by  Hope  and  by  Love. 

When  we  tell  Our  Heavenly  Father  that  we  put  all 
our  hope  in  Him  because  we  know  that  He  will 
help  us  to  be  with  him  in  heaven  some  day,  we  make 
an  Act  of  Hope. 

Let  us  learn  an  Act  of  Hope  written  by  Pope  Clem¬ 
ent  XI. 

“All  my  hopes  are  in  Thee:  Do  Ihou  secure  them. 
Now  say  the  two  Acts  you  have  learned. 


[  Page  67  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


When  we  tell  Our  Heavenly  Father  that  we  love 

* 

Him,  we  make  an  Act  of  Love. 

Let  us  learn  an  Act  of  Love  written  by  Pope  Clem¬ 
ent  XI. 


“I  love  Thee:  Teach  me  to  love  Thee  daily  more  and 


more. 


Say  the  three  Acts  you  have  just  learned. 


We  know  that  we  are  often  displeasing  to  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father,  by  what  we  think,  by  what  we  do,  or  by 
what  we  say. 

When  we  tell  Our  Heavenly  Father  that  we  are  sorry 
we  are  ever  displeasing  to  Him,  we  make  an  Act  of 
Contrition. 

Let  us  learn  a  very  short  Act  of  Contrition  written  by 
Pope  Clement  XI. 

“I  am  sorry  that  I  have  offended  Thee :  Do  Thou  in¬ 
crease  my  sorrow.” 

Later  on  we  shall  study  the  longer  Act  of  Contrition 
which  is  given  in  the  Catechism. 

It  pleases  Our  Heavenly  Father  when  we  make  an 
Act  of  Contrition,  as  well  as  Acts  of  Faith,  Hope  and 
Love,  every  morning  and  evening. 

f  Page  68  1 


WHY  GOD  CREATES  US 


Now  let  us  study  the  rest  of  The  Lord’s  Prayer.  But 
first  I  must  explain  something  to  you. 

You  remember  that  God  created  other  intelligent  be¬ 
ings  besides  human  bei  ngs. 

What  do  we  call  these  other  beings? 

They  are  called  angels . 

Most  of  the  angels  used  their  wills  to  serve  God,  and 
to  be  faithful  and  true  to  Him. 

But  some  of  the  angels  chose  to  please  themselves, 
and  they  refused  to  serve  God. 

These  bad  angels  are  called  devils. 

We  know  that  we  can  be  pleasing  to  Our  Heavenly 
Father,  or  displeasing  to  Him,  by  the  way  we  choose 
to  think,  or  act,  or  speak. 

The  devil  wants  us  to  choose  what  we  know  is  dis¬ 
pleasing  to  Our  Heavenly  Father. 

When  we  do  what  the  devil  wants  us  to  do,  we  yield 
to  temptation. 

In  The  Lord’s  Prayer  when  we  ask  Our  Heavenly 
Father  to  help  us  not  to  yield  to  temptation,  what  do 
we  say? 

We  say:  ((Lead  us  not  into  temptation  ” 

Say  The  Lord’s  Prayer  from  the  beginning. 

[  Page  69  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


In  the  last  part  of  The  Lord’s  Prayer  we  ask  Our 
Heavenly  Father  to  keep  us  safe  from  all  dangers 
and  troubles  of  every  kind. 

How  do  we  know  that  Our  Heavenly  Father  can  do 
this? 

Our  Heavenly  Father  can  do  this  be - 
cause  He  is  Almighty . 

In  the  last  part  of  The  Lord’s  Prayer,  when  we  ask 
Our  Heavenly  Father  to  keep  us  safe  from  all  dan¬ 
gers  and  troubles  of  every  kind,  what  do  we  say? 

We  say:  (6Deliver  us  from  evil.” 

We  end  The  Lord’s  Prayer  by  saying: 

“Amen.” 

And  in  The  Lord’s  Prayer  Amen  means  Know  that 
thy  prayers  are  heard' 

Say  The  Lord’s  Prayer  from  the  beginning. 


Review  Ouestions 

»v 

Tell  three  reasons  why  God  made  you. 

Name  five  wonderful  gifts  which  help  you  to  know, 
to  love  and  to  serve  God. 

1Catcchism  of  the  Council  of  Trent  concerning  The  Lord’s  Prayer. 


f  Page  70  ] 


WHY  GOD  CREATES  US 


Which  of  these  gifts  helps  your  mind  to  see  that  all 
brightness  and  beauty  are  in  God? 

Which  gift  helps  your  will  to  turn  toward  God  and 
to  love  Him? 

In  The  Lord’s  Prayer  when  we  ask  Our  Heavenly 
Father  to  help  us  not  to  do  what  the  devil  wants 
us  to  do,  what  do  we  say? 

When  we  ask  Our  Heavenly  Father  to  deliver  us 
from  all  kinds  of  dangers  and  troubles,  what  do  we 
say? 


[  Page  71  ] 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 


Lesson  VI. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  VI.,  let  us  say  the  short  Acts 
of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition,  which  you 
learned  in  Lesson  V. 

Act  of  Faith:  “O  mv  God,  I  believe  in  Thee:  Do 
Thou  strengthen  my  faith.” 

Act  of  Hope:  “All  my  hopes  are  in  Thee:  Do  Thou 
secure  them.” 

Act  of  Love:  “I  love  Thee:  teach  me  to  love  Thee 
daily  more  and  more.” 

Act  of  Contrition:  “I  am  sorry  that  I  have  offended 
Thee:  Do  Thou  increase  my  sorrow.” 


You  have  learned  about  five  of  God’s  wonderful  gifts 
to  you. 

What  are  these  five  gifts? 

These  five  gifts  are , — the  body ,  the 
mind 9  the  memory ,  the  will ,  and  the 
most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s 
brightness  and  beauty . 


I  Page  72  ] 


_ HEAVEN  AND  HELL _ 

I  am  sure  you  will  be  very  happy  to  know  that  there 
is  another  gift,  greater  still,  which  Our  Heavenly 
Father  has  in  store  for  all  those  who  use  these  five 
gifts  to  know,  to  love,  and  to  serve  Him. 

In  this  lesson  let  us  find  out  about  this  great  gift 
which  Our  Heavenly  Father  has  in  store  for  us. 

You  know  that  none  of  us  will  live  here  on  earth 
forever. 

What  will  happen  to  everyone  of  us  some  day? 

We  shall  die. 

4 

It  is  true  that  your  body  will  die. 

But  do  you  think  that  your  soul,  which  is  especially 
made  to  the  image  and  likeness  of  God,  will  die  also? 

/  think  that  my  soul  will  not  die. 

When  your  body  dies,  your  soul  leaves  the  body. 
Then  it  is  that  Our  Heavenly  Father  will  take  you 
to  Himself,  if  you  have  used  your  five  wonderful 
gifts  to  know,  to  love  and  to  serve  Him  while  you 
were  here  upon  this  earth.1 

And  when  Our  Heavenly  Father  takes  you  to  Him¬ 
self,  you  will  be  happy  forever. 

luThe  only  means  then  of  arriving  at  a  knowledge  of  the  Divine  Essence  is  that 
God  unites  Himself  in  some  sort  to  us,  and  after  an  incomprehensible  manner  elevates 
our  minds  to  a  higher  degree  of  perfection,  and  thus  renders  us  capable  of  contemplat¬ 
ing  the  beauty  of  His  nature.  This  the  light  of  His  glory  will  accomplish.” — Catechism 
of  the  Council  of  Trent. 


[  Page  73  1 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


You  will  never  have  any  more  sickness,  or  sufferings, 
or  troubles,  or  death. 

You  will  be  in  heaven. 

And  heaven  is  the  very  greatest  gift  you  possibly 
could  have. 

Let  us  memorize  what  St.  Paul  tells  us  about  heaven. 

“Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither 
hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  what 
things  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love 
Him.”  (I  Cor.  2:9.) 

In  the  lesson  just  before  this  one,  you  learned  that 
Our  Heavenly  Father  made  you  to  know,  to  love  and 
to  serve  Him  while  you  are  here  upon  this  earth. 

In  this  lesson  you  have  been  learning  that  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father  wants  you  to  be  happy  with  Him  forever 
in  heaven. 

And  this  is  the  chief  or  principal  reason  why  He 
made  you. 


Now,  tell  what  you  have  just  learned  about  heaven, 
answering  the  following  questions: 

(a)  In  heaven  Who  will  take  you  to  Himself  for¬ 
ever? 

(b)  How  will  heaven  be  different  from  the  sick¬ 
ness,  sufferings  and  troubles  of  this  life? 

(c)  Tell  the  chief  or  principal  reason  why  God  made 
you. 

f  Page  74  ] 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 


(d)  Why  does  Our  Heavenly  Father  want  you  to 
use  your  wonderful  gifts  to  know,  to  love  and  to 
serve  Him  while  you  are  here  upon  this  earth4? 

But  many  foolish  people  refuse  to  use  their  precious 
gifts  to  know,  to  love  and  to  serve  Our  Heavenly 
Father. 

And  these,  even  while  they  are  here  on  earth,  lose 
one  of  their  five  wonderful  gifts. 

Which  gift  do  you  think  they  lose4? 

I  think  they  lose  the  most  precious  gift 
of  sharing  in  God's  brightness  and 

beauty. 

When  anyone  loses  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing 
in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty,  which  he  received 
at  Baptism,  his  mind  and  will  are  dilferent  as  to  the 
things  of  God. 

His  mind  is  darkened  so  that  he  no  longer  sees  that 
all  brightness  and  beauty  are  in  God. 

His  will  no  longer  turns  lovingly  toward  God. 

It  is  turned  away  from  God.2 

And  at  the  moment  of  his  death  if  there  is  none  ot 
God’s  brightness  and  beauty  in  his  soul,  his  mind 

2“By  mortal  sin,  the  mind  through  acting  against  Charity  is  altogether  turned 
away  from  God;  whereas  by  venial  sin  man’s  affections  are  clogged  so  that  they  are 
slow  in  tending  towards  God. 

Consequently  both  kinds  of  sin  are  taken  away  by  penance,  because  by  both  of 
them  man’s  will  is  disordered  through  turning  inordinately  to  a  created  good.  For 
just  as  mortal  sin  cannot  be  forgiven  so  long  as  the  will  is  attached  to  sin,  so  neither 
can  venial  sin,  because  while  the  cause  remains,  the  effect  remains.”  Sximma  of  St. 
Thomas. 


[  Page  75  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


must  remain  forever  darkened,  and  his  will  must  re¬ 
main  forever  turned  away  from  God. 

That  is,  he  never  again  can  even  hope  to  be  happy 
with  God  in  heaven. 

For  when  anyone  dies  with  his  mind  darkened  and 
his  will  turned  away  from  God,  he  must  be  in  hell 

with  the  devils  forever. 

And  everyone  in  hell  must  suffer  torments  which  will 
never  cease. 

For  we  know  from  Holy  Scripture  that  being  cast  into 
hell  means  being  cast  into  the  everlasting  fire  which 
was  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels  (St.  Mat¬ 
thew  25:41). 

We  do  not  know  just  what  kind  of  fire  it  is  which 
was  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels. 

But  we  do  know  that  the  everlasting  fire  of  hell 
causes  dreadful  torments. 

For  Holy  Scripture  tells  us  that  even  if  it  should 
be  necessary  for  anyone  to  love  and  serve  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father  in  the  midst  of  great  suffering,  it  would 
be  very  much  better  to  do  this  than,  forgetting  God, 
to  live  selfishly,  and  then  at  death  be  cast  into  the 
everlasting  fire  of  hell. 


Let  us  read  a  story  from  Holy  Scripture  which  tells 
us  about  a  rich  man  who  was  suffering  in  hell  be¬ 
cause  while  he  was  here  on  earth  he  would  not  use 
his  precious  gifts  to  know,  to  love  and  to  serve  God. 


[  Page  76  ] 


HEAVEN  AND  HELI 


“There  was  a  rich  man,  who  was  clothed  in 
purple  and  fine  linen;  and  feasted  sump¬ 
tuously  every  day. 


And  there  was  a  certain  beggar,  named  Laz¬ 
arus,  who  lay  at  his  gate,  full  of  sores. 

Desiring  to  be  filled  with  the  crumbs  that 
fell  from  the  rich  man’s  table,  and  no  one 
did  give  him;  moreover  the  dogs  came,  and 
licked  his  sores. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  the  beggar  died, 
and  was  carried  by  the  angels  into  Abra¬ 
ham’s  bosom.  And  the  rich  man  also  died: 
and  he  was  buried  in  hell. 

And  lifting  up  his  eyes  when  he  was  in 
torments,  he  saw  Abraham  afar  off,  and  Laz¬ 
arus  in  his  bosom: 

,  [  Page  77  J 


T  HE  S  P  I  R  I  T  UAL  WAY 


And  he  cried,  and  said:  Father  Abraham, 
have  mercy  on  me,  and  send  Lazarus,  that 
he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water,  to 
cool  my  tongue:  for  I  am  tormented  in  this 
flame. ”  (St.  Luke  16:  19-24.) 

Now  tell  what  you  have  learned  about  hell,  answer¬ 
ing  the  following  questions: 

(a)  If  anyone  has  lost  the  most  precious  gift  of 
sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty,  and  dies  in 
that  state,  how  must  his  mind  remain  forever'? 

His  mind  must  remain  darkened  for - 

ever . 

How  must  his  will  remain  forever4? 

His  will  must  remain  turned  away  from 

God  forever. 

(b)  From  Whom  must  he  be  seperated  forever4? 

He  must  be  separated  from  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father  forever. 

(c)  Instead  of  being  in  heaven,  where  must  he  be 
forever4? 

He  must  be  in  hell  forever. 

(d)  What  other  beings  are  in  hell  forever4? 

The  devils  are  in  hell  forever. 

(e)  Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  the  torments 
of  hell. 

[  Page  78  J 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 

You  know  that  some  day  you  must  die. 

And  at  the  moment  of  your  death,  if  you  have  the 
most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and 
beauty,  great  happiness  will  surely  be  yours  forever. 

What  great  happiness  will  you  surely  have  forever'? 

I  shall  have  the  great  happiness  of  be¬ 
ing  with  God  in  heaven . 

You  will  have  the  great  happiness  of  being  with 
God  in  heaven  immediately  after  you  die  if  God’s 
image  and  likeness  in  your  soul  are  as  clear  and  per¬ 
fect  as  God  wants  them  to  be. 

But  if  God’s  image  and  likeness  in  your  soul  are  not 
as  clear  and  perfect  as  God  wants  them  to  be,  you 
are  not  ready  to  be  with  God  in  heaven  just  as  soon 
as  you  die. 

Then,  you  must  wait  and  suffer  until  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God  in  your  soul  have  become  as  clear 
and  perfect  as  God  wants  them  to  be. 

For  while  God’s  image  and  likeness  in  the  soul  are 
becoming  clearer  and  more  perfect,  the  soul  is  in  a 
state  of  great  suffering . 


[  Page  79  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


And  one  of  the  causes  of  this  great  suffering  is  the 
constant  longing  to  be  in  heaven  with  Our  Heavenly 
Father. 

This  state  of  waiting  and  suffering  after  death  until 
the  soul  is  ready  to  be  with  God  in  heaven  is  called 

purgatory . 

What  great  happiness  is  in  store  for  every  one  in  pur¬ 
gatory  when  it  is  not  necessary  to  wait  and  suffer 
any  longer'? 

Every  one  in  purgatory  will  have  the 
great  happiness  of  being  in  heaven  for - 

ever. 

Now  tell  what  you  have  learned  about  purgatory, 
answering  the  following  questions: 

(a)  Why  is  it  necessary  for  some  souls  to  suffer  for 
a  time  in  purgatory  before  Our  Heavenly  Father 
takes  them  to  Himself  forever4? 

(b)  When  will  Our  Heavenly  Father  take  the  souls 
in  purgatory  to  Himself  in  heaven? 

(c)  Do  the  souls  in  purgatory  love  Our  Heavenly 
Father4? 

(d)  Why  does  this  love  cause  them  to  suffer4? 


\  ou  have  just  been  learning  that  every  one  who  is 
in  heaven  or  in  purgatory  has  the  most  precious  gift 
of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty. 

[  Page  80  J 


\ 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 

And  all  those  who  have  the  most  precious  gift  of 
sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty,  whether  they 
are  on  earth,  in  purgatory,  or  in  heaven,  belong  to 
God’s  big  family. 

So  we  say  that  all  those  who  have  the  most  precious 
gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty  belong 
to  the  Communion  of  Saints . 

Let  us  see  if  you  can  tell  what  is  meant  by  the  Com¬ 
munion  of  Saints . 


Summary 

Now  let  us  have  a  short  review  of  what  you  have  been 
learning  about  heaven,  hell  and  purgatory. 

Tell  the  chief  or  principal  reason  why  God  made  you. 

What  does  St.  Paul  sav  about  heaven? 

m 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  the  souls  in  hell. 

.  -  •  / 

What  souls  are  in  purgatory? 

Find  out  what  your  Catechism  says  about  heaven, 
hell,  and  purgatory. 


[  Page  81  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 

( Continued ) 

Third  Division 

You  know  that  here  on  earth  we  can  help  one  another. 

How  can  you  obtain  blessings  of  every  kind  for  your 
father,  your  mother  or  anyone  else1? 

I  can  obtain  blessings  of  every  kind  for 
anyone  by  praying  to  Our  Heavenly 

Father. 

v 

Besides  praying  for  others  what  else  can  you  do  to 
help  them'’? 

I  can  help  them  by  good  deeds. 

You  know  that  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  loving  chil¬ 
dren  in  purgatory  must  suffer  until  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God  in  their  souls  are  as  clear  and  per¬ 
fect  as  Our  Heavenly  Father  wants  them  to  be. 

And  I  am  sure  it  will  make  you  happy  to  know  that 
we  can  help  those  who  are  in  purgatory  as  well  as 
those  who  are  on  earth. 

How  do  you  think  we  can  help  those  who  are  in 
purgatory? 

We  can  offer  to  Our  Heavenly  Father 
our  prayers  and  our  good  deeds  to  help 

them. 


[  Page  82  J 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 


Now  let  us  think  about  the  angels  and  saints  in 
heaven. 

Can  we  help  them,  or  can  they  help  us? 

They  can  help  us. 

When  we  need  the  help  of  the  angels  and  saints  in 
heaven,  what  should  we  do  to  obtain  it? 

We  should  ask  them  to  help  us* 

From  what  we  have  been  learning  about  heaven,  hell 
and  purgatory  you  see  how  important  it  is  for  us  to 
use  our  five  wonderful  gifts,  to  know,  to  love  and  to 
serve  Our  Heavenly  Father. 

And  Our  Heavenly  Father  has  given  us  ten  laws  or 
commandments  so  that  we  need  not  make  any  mis¬ 
take  in  using  the  gifts  He  has  given  us. 

To  keep  the  first  of  these  commandments  we  must 
believe  in  God,  hope  in  Him,  and  love  Him. 

What  Acts  have  you  learned  which  tell  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father  that  you  believe  in  Him,  hope  in  Him, 
and  love  Him? 

Acts  of  Faith ,  Hope ,  and  Love. 

It  will  please  Our  Heavenly  Father  if  you  say  these 
Acts  often  during  the  day. 


[  Page  83  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


But  you  should  always  try  to  say  them  in  the  morn¬ 
ing  and  in  the  evening. 

The  first  commandment  tells  us  that  God  must  come 
first  in  our  lives. 

It  tells  us  that  we  must  never  let  any  creature  take 
God  s  place  in  our  lives. 

Whom,  then,  should  we  love  more  than  father,  moth¬ 
er,  brother,  sister,  anybody  or  anything  else'? 

W e  should  love  God  more  than  father , 
mother ,  brother ,  sister ,  anybody  or  any¬ 
thing  else . 


The  first  of  these  ten  commandments  is: 

“I  am  the  Lord  thy  God:  Thou  shalt  not  have 
strange  gods  before  me.” 

Memorize  the  first  commandment. 


The  second  commandment  is  about  our  words. 

To  keep  the  second  commandment  we  must  speak 
about  Our  Heavenly  Father  with  respect  and  rev¬ 
erence. 

We  must  speak  of  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  friends 
with  respect  and  reverence. 

We  must  speak  of  holy  things  with  respect  and  rev¬ 
erence. 


[  Page  84  ] 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 


The  second  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God 
in  vain. 55 

Memorize  the  second  commandment. 

When  anyone  swears  or  curses,  what  commandment 
does  he  break? 

When  anyone  swears  or  curses  he 
breaks  the  second  commandment. 

When  you  are  older  you  should  try  to  learn  more 
about  the  second  commandment. 

Now,  say  the  two  commandments  which  you  have 
learned. 


The  third  commandment  tells  us  that  we  must  give 
Our  Heavenly  Father  special  honor  and  praise  every 
Sunday. 


[  Page  85  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  W  A  Y 


The  most  important  way  of  giving  Our  Heavenly 
Father  special  honor  and  praise  is  by  assisting  at 
Holy  Mass. 

And  if  you  wish  to  remain  a  loving  child  of  God  you 
must  assist  at  Holy  Mass  every  Sunday,  if  it  is  possi¬ 
ble  for  you  to  do  so. 

Besides  assisting  at  Holy  Mass,  try  to  think  of  some¬ 
thing  else  we  can  do  on  Sunday  to  give  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father  special  honor  and  praise. 

The  third  commandment  is: 

ClRemember  thou  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  Day.” 

Memorize  the  third  commandment. 

When  anyone  neglects  to  assist  at  Holy  Mass  on 
Sunday,  what  commandment  does  he  break? 

He  breaks  the  third  commandment . 

When  anyone  does  not  try  to  give  God  on  Sunday 

Extra  time, 

Extra  thought,  and 
Extra  prayer, 

what  commandment  does  he  break? 

He  breaks  the  third  commandment . 

f  Page  86  ] 


HEAVEN  AND  HELL 


Do  you  think  that  it  is  “keeping  the  Sabbath  holy’  ’ 
to  do  unnecessary  work  on  Sunday,  or  anything  else 
unbefitting  the  day  set  apart  for  the  Lord? 

I  think  that  it  is  not  keeping  the  Sab¬ 
bath  holy  to  do  unnecessary  work  on 
Sunday ,  or  anything  else  unbefitting  the 
day  set  apart  for  the  Lord. 

Say  the  three  commandments  you  have  just  learned. 

Find  out  what  your  Catechism  says  about  the  first 
three  commandments. 

4 

Review  Questions 

What  must  we  do  to  obtain  the  great  happiness  which 
Our  Heavenly  Father  has  in  store  for  us? 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  heaven. 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  purgatory. 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  hell. 

What  is  meant  by  the  Communion  of  Saints? 

Say  the  first  commandment.  Tell  what  it  means. 

Say  the  second  commandment.  Tell  what  it  means. 

[  Page  87  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


st  ' ■  :A 


Say  the  third  commandment.  Tell  what  it  means. 

What  Acts  have  you  learned  which  you  should  try 
to  say  every  morning  and  evening? 

What  other  prayers  have  you  learned  which  we  should 
all  say  every  morning  and  evening? 


[  Page  88  1 


aS:ouEGE  l,b^ 

^tSTNur  H/LL.  MASS. 


THE  BLESSED  TRINITY 
Lesson  VII. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  VII.,  let  us  say  one  of  the 
following  prayers: 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 
VI.). 

The  Lord’s  Prayer. 

The  Apostles’  Creed  as  far  as  learned  in  Lesson  III. 

Which  one  of  our  wonderful  gifts  do  we  use  to  know 
and  to  understand  about  things? 

We  use  our  minds  to  know  and  to  un¬ 
derstand  about  things . 

Who  created  our  minds? 

God  created  our  minds. 

Who  always  knows  and  understands  all  about  ev¬ 
erything? 

God  always  knows  and  understands  all 

about  everything. 

Now  I  am  going  to  tell  you  something  about  Our 
Heavenly  Father’s  mind  which  perhaps  you  have 
never  been  told  before. 


[  Page  89  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Our  Heavenly  Father’s  mind  was  never  created .  We 
say  that  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  mind  is  uncreated . 

We  know  that  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  mind  is  also 

all-powerful. 

And  now  let  us  think  about  our  minds. 

Do  you  think  that  our  minds  are  all-powerful,  or  that 
they  are  very  small  and  weak? 

Our  minds  are  very  small  and  weak . 

You  have  learned  that  Our  Heavenly  Father  knows 
all  about  everything  everywhere. 

With  our  minds  can  we  ever  know  all  about  every¬ 
thing  everywhere? 

Why  not? 

Our  minds  are  not  great  and  powerful 
enough  to  know  all  about  everything 

everywhere. 

Our  Heavenly  Father  always  knows  Himself  per¬ 
fectly. 

And  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  loving  children  here  on 
earth  try  to  know  Him  better  and  better. 

But  can  they  ever  know  Our  Heavenly  Father  as 
well  as  He  knows  Himself? 

7  hey  can  never  know  Our  H eavenly 
Father  as  well  as  He  knows  Himself. 

[  Page  90  ] 


THE  BLESSED  TRINITY 


Do  you  think  that  any  angel  can  ever  know  Our 
Heavenly  Father  as  well  as  He  knows  Himself4? 

No  angel  can  know  Our  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther  as  well  as  He  knows  Himself . 

But  Our  Heavenly  Father  wants  us  to  know  Him 
better  and  better,  so  that  we  will  love  Him  as  He 
wants  us  to  love  Him. 

And  because  of  this  He  has  made  known  to  us  some 
very  important  things  about  Himself  which  other¬ 
wise  we  could  never  know. 

We  show  that  we  have  faith  in  Our  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther  when  we  believe  what  He  has  made  known, 
even  though  we  cannot  fully  understand  it. 

Anything  that  Our  Heavenly  Father  has  made  known 
to  us  that  we  cannot  fully  understand  is  called  a 

Mystery. 

Let  us  see  if  you  can  tell  what  is  meant  by  a  Mystery. 

And  now  let  us  try  to  find  out  something  about  the 
greatest  of  all  Mysteries. 


You  know  that  we  are  human  beings. 

And  you  have  learned  that  God  created  other  intel¬ 
ligent  beings.  What  are  these  other  intelligent  be¬ 
ings  called4? 

They  are  called  angels. 

[  Page  91  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


God  is  the  only  Divine  Being. 

And,  of  course,  the  greatest  of  all  Mysteries  is  about 
God. 

Now  I  am  sure  that  you  are  wondering  what  the 
greatest  of  all  Mysteries  can  be. 

The  Bible  and  the  Catechism  tell  us  about  it. 

They  tell  us  that  the  greatest  of  all  Mysteries  is  that 
in  one  God  there  are  three  Divine  Versons. 

Hundreds  of  years  ago  St.  Patrick  was  teaching  the 
people  of  Ireland  that  in  God  there  are  three  Divine 
Persons,  and  he  used  a  three-leaved  clover  plant 
called  the  shamrock  to  help  them  to  understand  this 
great  Mystery  a  little  better. 


[  Page  92  ] 


THE  BLESSED  TRINITY 


No  one  of  us  can  ever  fully  understand  how  in  one 
God  there  are  three  Divine  Persons. 

But  perhaps  if  we  study  the  shamrock  it  will  help 
us  also  to  understand  this  greatest  of  all  Mysteries 
a  little  better. 

Let  us  suppose  that  you  have  a  shamrock,  and  are 
looking  at  it. 

How  many  separate  little  leaves  has  the  shamrock? 

The  shamrock  has  three  separate  little 

leaves. 

And  there  are  three  separate  Divine  Persons  in  God. 

Are  the  three  little  leaves  of  the  shamrock  alike ,  or 
very  different? 

The  three  little  leaves  of  the  shamrock 

are  alike. 

And  so  are  the  three  Divine  Persons  in  God  alike . 

Is  one  of  these  little  leaves  of  the  shamrock  bigger 
than  the  others,  or  are  all  three  equal ? 

All  three  of  the  leaves  are  equal. 

And  so  are  the  three  Divine  Persons  in  God  equal. 

Are  the  three  little  leaves  three  shamrocks  or  one 
shamrock? 

The  three  little  leaves  are  one  shamrock. 

[  Page  93  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


And  so  are  the  three  Divine  Persons  one  God. 

Of  course,  we  know  that  the  three  Divine  Persons  are 
not  separate,  alike  and  equal  in  just  the  same  way  as 
the  leaves  of  the  shamrock. 

This  is  only  a  comparison  which  we  may  use  to  help 
us  in  trying  to  understand  this  greatest  of  all  Mys¬ 
teries  a  little  better. 

One  God  in  Three  Divine  Persons  is  called  The 
Blessed  Trinity. 

Now  you  tell  what  is  meant  by  The  Blessed  Trinity. 

The  three  separate  Divine  Persons  in  the  Blessed 
Trinity  have  different  Names. 

The  first  Divine  Person  is  called  The  Father. 

The  second  Divine  Person  is  called  The  Son. 

The  third  Divine  Person  is  called  The  Holy  Ghost. 

Let  us  memorize  the  Names  of  the  three  Divine  Per¬ 
sons. 

St.  Athanasius  was  one  of  the  holiest  and  most  learned 
of  God’s  loving  children. 

He  spent  much  time  writing  and  explaining  to  the 
people  about  the  Mystery  of  the  Most  Blessed 
I  rimty. 

Let  us  read  a  few  lines  from  the  Athanasian  Creed, 
which  tell  about  this  great  Mystery. 

[  Page  94  ] 


THE  BLESSED  TRINITY 


“Such  as  the  Father  is,  such  is  the  Son,  such 
is  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  Father  is  uncreated,  the  Son  is  un¬ 
created,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  uncreated.  .  .  . 

The  Father  is  almighty,  the  Son  is  almighty, 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  almighty.  .  .  . 

The  Father  is  God,  the  Son  is  God,  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  God. 

And  yet  they  are  not  three  Gods,  but  one 
God.” 

Let  us  memorize  these  lines. 


THE  BLESSED  TRINITY 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 
Summary 

Now  tell  what  you  know  about  the  Blessed  Trinity, 
answering  the  following  questions: 

(a)  What  is  a  Mystery? 

Anything  that  Our  Heavenly  Father 
hits  made  known  to  us  that  we  cannot 
fully  understand  is  called  a  Mystery. 

[  Page  95  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


(b)  What  is  the  greatest  of  all  Mysteries4? 

The  greatest  of  all  Mysteries  is  the 

Blessed  Trinity 

(c)  What  do  we  mean  by  the  Blessed  Trinity? 

By  the  Blessed  Trinity  we  mean  One 
God  in  three  Divine  Persons. 

(d)  Tell  the  Names  of  the  three  Divine  Persons. 

The  three  Divine  Persons  are  called  the 
Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost. 

(e)  Is  one  Divine  Person  more  important  than  the 
others,  or  are  They  all  equal? 

The  three  Divine  Persons  are  all  equal. 

(f)  Say  what  you  have  just  learned  of  the  Athana- 
sian  Creed,  beginning,  “Such  as  the  Father  is,”  etc. 

(g)  Find  in  your  Catechism  the  lesson  about  the 
Blessed  Trinity. 

Memorize  the  answers. 


There  is  something  which  we  do  very  often  to  honor 
the  Blessed  Trinity. 

Perhaps  you  already  know  what  this  is. 

[  Page  96  ]  , 


THE  BLESSED  TRINITY 


It  is  called  “Making  the  Sign  of  the  Cross.” 

Let  us  make  the  Sign  of  the  Cross  together. 

First,  place  your  left  hand  on  your  breast.  The  right 
hand  should  be  open  with  the  fingers  close  together. 
Then,  raise  your  right  hand  and  touch  your  forehead. 
At  the  same  time  say:  “In  the  name  of  the  Father.” 
Then  lower  the  hand  and  touch  the  breast.  At  the 
same  time  say:  “And  of  the  Son.” 

Then  touch  first  the  left  shoulder,  and  then  the  right 
shoulder.  At  the  same  time  say:  “And  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.” 

Then  join  your  hands  together  and  say:  “Amen.” 

You  see,  as  you  move  your  right  hand  from  the  fore¬ 
head  to  the  breast,  then  from  the  left  shoulder  to  the 
right  shoulder,  you  make  a  cross,  or  you  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross. 

When  we  make  the  Sign  of  the  Cross  reverently  it  is 
an  Act  of  Faith. 

And  every  time  we  make  the  Sign  of  the  Cross  rever¬ 
ently  we  draw  down  upon  ourselves  God’s  blessing. 

When  do  you  think  that  we  should  always  make  the 
Sign  of  the  Cross? 

We  should  always  make  the  Sign  of  the 
Cross  before  and  after  our  prayers . 

Of  course,  you  have  been  to  Church. 

[  Page  97  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


And  you  must  have  seen  the  holy  water  font  in  the 
vestibule  or  near  the  entrance,  inside  the  Church. 

As  we  pass  by  the  holy  water  font,  what  should  we 
do? 


As  we  pass  by  the  holy  water  font  we 
should  dip  our  fingers  into  the  holy 
water  and  then  make  the  Sign  of  the 

Cross. 

When  we  make  the  Sign  of  the  Cross,  should  it  be 
made  very  carefully,  or  is  it  just  as  well  to  do  it 
carelessly  and  without  thinking? 

We  should  make  the  Sign  of  the  Cross 

very  carefully. 

Let  us  make  the  Sign  of  the  Cross  several  times,  until 
you  can  do  it  perfectly  by  yourself. 


[  Page  98  j 


THE  BLESSED  TRINITY 


There  is  another  prayer  which  is  said  in  honor  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity. 

This  prayer  is: 

“Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and 
to  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  it  was  in  the  begin¬ 
ning,  is  now,  and  ever  shall  be,  world  with¬ 
out  end.  Amen.” 

It  is  called  The  Gloria  Patri, 

Le  us  memorize  The  Gloria  Patri . 

We  give  honor  to  the  Blessed  Trinity  every  time  we 
make  the  Sign  of  the  Cross,  or  say  the  Gloria  Patri 
reverently. 

But  it  is  not  enough  to  honor  the  Blessed  Trinity  by 
saying  these  prayers. 

There  is  something  else  which  we  must  do. 

We  must  obey  God’s  commandments. 

You  have  already  learned  three  of  these  command¬ 
ments. 

Say  the  three  commandments  you  have  learned. 

These  first  three  commandments  tell  us  that  God  must 
come  first  in  everything. 

To  keep  these  first  three  commandments  perfectly 
how  much  must  we  love  God? 

We  must  love  God  with  our  whole 
heart ,  and  with  our  whole  mind ,  and 
with  our  whole  strength . 


[  Page  99  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


By  the  fourth  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
tells  us  how  much  love  and  respect  and  obedience  and 
reverence  we  must  give  to  our  parents. 

By  the  fourth  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
commands  us  all  to  love  our  parents  very,  very  much. 

Our  Heavenly  Father  commands  us  all  always  to  re¬ 
spect  and  reverence  our  parents  by  the  way  we  think 
about  them,  by  the  way  we  speak  to  them,  and  by  the 
way  we  act  toward  them. 

Our  Heavenly  Father  commands  children  to  obey 
their  parents  always  and  at  all  times,  unless  their 
parents  tell  them  to  do  something  which  would  break 
a  commandment  of-God. 

When  we  love,  respect,  obey  and  have  reverence  for 
our  fathers  and  mothers,  we  honor  them. 

The  fourth  commandment  is: 

“Honor  thy  father  and  mother.” 

Let  us  learn  the  fourth  commandment. 

Later  on  in  your  lessons  you  will  learn  more  about  the 
fourth  commandment. 

By  the  fifth  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
commands  us  to  show  that  we  love  our  neighbor  as 

[  Page  100  ] 


THE  BLESSED  TRINITY 


ourselves  by  not  harming  or  injuring  or  hating  any¬ 
one. 

Most  of  all,  it  commands  us  not  to  take  our  own  lives 
or  the  life  of  anyone  else. 

The  fifth  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  kill.” 

Let  us  learn  the  fifth  commandment. 

Now  let  us  say  the  first  five  commandments. 

Review  Questions 

What  is  the  greatest  of  all  Mysteries? 

Say  what  you  have  learned  of  the  Athanasian  Creed. 

What  should  we  do,  before  and  after  prayers,  to  honor 
the  Blessed  Trinity? 

Make  the  Sign  of  the  Cross,  and  say  the  Gloria  Patri. 
Say  the  first  three  commandments  (Lesson  VI.). 

Say  the  fourth  commandment.  What  does  it  mean? 
Say  the  fifth  commandment.  What  does  it  mean? 

[  Page  101  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Tell  why  God  made  you  (Lessons  V.  and  VI.) . 

What  do  you  mean  by  the  Communion  of  Saints  (Les¬ 
son  VI.)  ? 

Fell  four  words  which  you  have  learned  to  use  in 
speaking  about  God  (Lesson  IV.). 


[  Page  102  ] 


ORIGINAL  SIN 


Lesson  VIII. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  VIII,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross,  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers: 
Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love  and  Contrition  (Lesson 
VI.). 

The  Lord’s  Prayer. 

The  Apostles’  Creed  (as  far  as  learned  in  Lesson 
III.). 

There  are  certain  laws  which  you  already  know. 

One  of  these  laws  is  that  we  need  food  to  keep  us 
alive. 

Would  you  ever  choose  to  break  this  law?  Why  not? 

I  would  starve . 

Another  law  is  that  we  must  suffer  if  we  eat  or  drink 
anything  not  meant  for  food.  Would  you  ever  choose 
to  break  this  law  by  drinking  kerosene  oil,  for  in¬ 
stance?  Why  not? 

I  would  be  sick . 

It  is  a  law  that  we  shall  be  burned  if  we  touch  fire. 
Would  you  ever  choose  to  break  this  law  by  putting 
your  hand  into  the  fire?  Why  not? 

I  would  be  burned. 


[  Page  103  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


These  are  called  laws  of  nature . 

What  happens  when  anyone  breaks  a  law  of  nature? 

He  suffers. 

Now  let  us  see  what  happened  when  God’s  law  was 
broken. 

But  first  let  me  tell  you  a  story  about  a  prince  who 
broke  a  great  king’s  law. 

Once  there  was  a  very  rich  and  powerful  king. 

This  rich  and  powerful  king  adopted  a  son  to  make 
him  a  noble  prince. 

The  king  gave  his  adopted  son  a  beautiful  home  and 
a  kingdom  over  which  he  was  to  rule. 

The  king  also  gave  this  prince  many  valuable  gifts, 
and  everything  to  make  him  happy. 

Among  the  many  valuable  gifts  which  the  rich  and 
powerful  king  gave  to  his  adopted  son  was  one  which 
meant  that  the  prince  would  never  be  sick  or  die. 
Another  gift  was  knowledge,  which  meant  that  the 
prince  understood  and  knew  things  very  quickly, 
without  having  to  study  hard  as  we  must  do. 

The  prince  knew  that  the  king  loved  him,  and  wanted 
him  to  be  a  prince  forever. 

He  also  knew  that  if  he  ruled  his  kingdom  faithfully 
and  well,  just  as  the  king  wanted  him  to  do,  the  king 
would,  after  a  while,  call  him  to  share  his  own  king¬ 
dom. 

The  king  often  visited  and  talked  with  the  prince, 

[  Page  104  ] 


ORIGINAL  SIN 


and  made  known  to  him  everything  which  he  needed 
to  know,  as  head  of  the  kingdom. 

Because  of  the  king’s  love,  his  precious  gifts,  and  his 
beautiful  home,  the  prince  was  very  happy. 

One  day  when  the  king  was  visiting  his  adopted  son, 
he  asked  the  prince  to  prove  that  he  wanted  to  remain 
a  noble  prince  forever. 

The  way  the  prince  was  to  prove  that  he  wanted  to  re¬ 
main  a  noble  prince  forever  was  by  obeying  a  certain 
command  given  by  the  king. 


The  command  was  that  the  fruit  of  one  tree  in  the 
midst  of  the  kingdom  was  not  to  be  touched, — that  is, 
this  fruit  was  not  to  be  eaten. 

If  the  prince  should  choose  to  disobey  the  great  king’s 
command,  it  would  prove  that  he  was  no  longer  noble 
like  the  king. 

And  who  would  ever  think  that  any  adopted  prince 

•  [  Page  105  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 

could  be  so  foolish  as  to  choose  not  to  remain  a  prince 
forever*? 

And  yet,  the  prince  we  are  talking  about  really  did 
make  this  foolish  choice. 

He  chose  not  to  remain  a  noble  prince. 

That  is,  he  chose  to  disobey  the  great  king’s  command. 
And,  of  course,  he  had  to  suffer. 


First  of  all,  he  was  no  longer  a  noble  prince. 

He  could  no  longer  rule  his  kingdom. 

He  often  felt  inclined  to  be  bad  instead  of  good. 

And  everyone  who  would  ever  belong  to  his  kingdom 
would  often  feel  inclined  to  be  bad  instead  of  good. 
Everything  was  changed. 

Of  course  the  noble  king  would  no  longer  visit  him. 
He  had  to  work  hard  for  his  living. 

He  did  not  understand  things  easily  and  quickly,  as 
before, — that  is,  he  had  to  study  hard  as  we  do. 

He  no  longer  had  the  gift  which  meant  that  he  could 
not  be  sick  or  die. 

Now  he  could  be  sick,  and  he  must  die. 

And  the  worst  part  of  his  suffering  was  that  he  knew 
the  king  would  never  call  him  to  share  his  kingdom. 

When  this  noble  prince  chose  to  disobey  the  great 
king’s  command,  his  entire  family  had  to  suffer  as 
well  as  himself. 


r  Page  106  ] 


ORIGINAL  SIN 


As  he  was  no  longer  a  prince,  none  of  his  family 
would  ever  be  princes  or  princesses. 

None  of  his  family  would  ever  have  any  of  the  valu¬ 
able  gifts  that  the  prince  had  before  he  disobeyed  the 
king’s  command. 

And,  of  course,  none  of  his  family  would  ever  be 
called  by  the  king  to  share  his  kingdom. 

Now,  you  tell  the  story  about  the  prince  who  chose  to 
disobey  the  great  king’s  command. 

Perhaps  you  have  read  fairy  tales  about  kings  and 
princes,  and  this  story  seems  like  one  of  these  fairy 
tales. 

But,  alas!  this  is  not  a  fairy  tale. 

It  is  a  true  story. 

The  great  and  rich  king  of  our  story  is  Our  Heavenly 
Father,  Who  is  King  of  heaven  and  earth. 

The  adopted  prince  of  our  story  is  Adam,  the  first 
man  Our  Heavenly  Father  created. 

By  disobeying  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  command, 
Adam  broke  Our  Heavenly  Father  s  law ,  that  is,  he 
com??iitted  sin. 

Now,  you  tell  what  we  call  “breaking  Our  Heavenly 
Father’s  law.” 

We  call  “breaking  Our  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther  s  law 99  committing  sin . 


[  Page  107  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Adam  was  the  head,  or  father  of  the  human  family. 
Eve  was  the  mother  of  the  human  family,  and  she, 
too,  disobeyed  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  command. 

Because  the  head  of  the  human  family  disobeyed  Our 
Heavenly  Father,  very  great  suffering  followed. 
Adam’s  entire  family  had  to  suffer  as  well  as  himself. 
And  we  belong  to  Adam’s  family. 

So  we  have  to  suffer. 

Because  of  his  disobedience,  Adam  no  longer  possessed 
his  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness 
and  beauty. 

So,  when  we  are  created  what  precious  gift  is  not  given 
to  us? 

When  we  are  created  we  are  not  given 
the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in 
God’s  brightness  and  beauty. 

Without  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s 
brightness  and  beauty,  Adam  was  no  longer  a  prince 
of  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  kingdom. 

So,  when  we  are  created,  what  about  us?  Are  we 
princes  and  princesses  of  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  king¬ 
dom  or  not? 

When  we  are  created  we  are  not 
princes  and  princesses  of  Our  Heaven¬ 
ly  Father  s  kingdom. 

[  Page  108  ] 


ORIGINAL  SIN 


Without  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s 
brightness  and  beauty,  Adam  no  longer  belonged  in 
God’s  heavenly  kingdom. 

So  what  about  us4?  When  we  are  created  do  we  be¬ 
long  in  God’s  heavenly  kingdom  or  not"? 

When  we  are  created  we  do  not  belong 
in  God's  heavenly  kingdom . 

Besides  losing  these  most  precious  gifts,  Adam  lost 
other  gifts. 

He  lost  the  gifts  which  would  have  kept  him  from 
weariness  and  from  sickness  or  death. 

And  without  these  gifts  how  must  we  suffer4? 

Without  these  gifts  we  can  be  tired , 
we  can  be  sick  and  we  must  die. 

After  Adam  had  committed  the  first  sin,  he  often  felt 
like  being  bad  instead  of  good. 

Do  we  always  feel  like  being  good,  or  do  we  some¬ 
times  feel  like  being  bad4? 

We  sometimes  feel  like  being  bad. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  lesson,  you  learned  that  when 
a  law  of  nature  is  broken  suffering  is  sure  to  follow. 

Now  that  you  know  what  happened  when  the  head 
of  the  human  family  disobeyed  God’s  command,  do 
you  think  that  little  or  great  suffering  followed  this 
sin4? 

I  think  that  great  suffering  followed  this 

sin. 


[  Page  109  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Because  there  is  none  of  God’s  brightness  and  beauty 
in  our  souls  when  we  are  created,  we  are  said  to  be 
born  in  the  state  of  original  sin . 

Now  you  tell  what  is  meant  by  “being  born  in  the 
state  of  original  sin.” 

The  Catechism  tells  us  what  original  sin  is  in  still 
another  way. 

Let  us  find  out  how  the  Catechism  explains  original 
sin.  Memorize  this  answer. 


ORIGINAL  SIN 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 
Summary 

When  anyone  breaks  a  law  of  nature  what  is  sure  to 
follow? 

When  anyone  breaks  a  law  of  nature 
suffering  is  sure  to  follow . 

When  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  law  was  broken  by  the 
head  of  the  human  race,  did  little  or  great  suffering 
follow? 

Great  suffering  followed. 

I  Page  110  ]  i 


ORIGINAL  SIN 


Tell  some  of  the  sufferings  which  befell  our  first 
parents  because  they  broke  Our  Heavenly  Father’s 
law. 


They  no  longer  had  the  most  precious 
gift  of  sharing  in  God's  brightness  and 
beauty .  They  no  longer  belonged  in 
heaven  with  God .  They  often  felt  like 
being  bad  instead  of  good.  They  could 
be  tired.  They  could  be  sick.  They 

must  die. 

Great  suffering  befell  the  head  of  the  human  family 
because  he  broke  God’s  law. 

But  others  also  had  to  suffer  because  the  head  of  the 
human  family  sinned. 

Who  else  had  to  suffer? 

The  whole  human  family  had  to  suffer. 

When  did  we  first  receive  the  most  precious  gift  of 
sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty? 

When  we  were  baptized  we  first  re¬ 
ceive  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing 
in  God's  brightness  and  beauty. 

Before  Baptism  we  were  in  the  state  of  original  sin. 
What  does  this  mean? 

Before  Baptism  we  were  in  the  state  of 
original  sin  because  there  was  none  of 
God's  brightness  and  beauty  in  our 

souls. 


[  Page  111] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Tell  what  the  Catechism  says  about  original  sin. 

Original  sin  is  the  sin  we  inherit  from 

our  first  parents. 


If  we  break  any  of  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  laws  or 
commandments  we  commit  a  sin . 

So  you  see  how  necessary  it  is  for  us  to  know  these 
commandments. 

You  have  alreadv  learned  five  of  God’s  command- 

j 

ments. 

Now,  let  us  learn  the  sixth  commandment. 

You  know  that  one  of  your  very  precious  gifts  from 
God  is  your  body.  This  precious  gift  serves  God  in 
very  special  ways. 

One  of  the  ways  the  body  serves  is  by  being  the  home 
or  dwelling-place  of  all  of  the  other  precious  gifts, — 
the  mind,  the  memory,  the  will,  and  the  most  precious 
gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty. 

That  is,  the  body  is  the  dwelling-place  of  the  soul. 

Now,  I  am  going  to  tell  you  something  which  is  very, 
very  important  for  you  to  know. 

At  Baptism,  when  you  received  the  most  precious  gift 
of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty,  God,  Him¬ 
self,  came  to  dwell  within  you. 

For,  wherever  there  is  any  of  God’s  most  precious  gift, 
there  God  dwells. 

t  Page  112  ] 


ORIGINAL  SIN 


God  stays  within  us  as  long  as  we  keep  our  most 
precious  gift  of  sharing  in  His  brightness  and  beauty. 


God. 


God  wants  and  expects  each  one  to  use  his  mind  and 
his  will  to  guard  the  body,  keeping  it  a  lovely  and 
sacred  home  for  Him. 

Rut  the  mind  and  the  will  must  be  loyal  and  true  be¬ 
fore  they  can  be  trusted  to  guard  the  body. 

To  keep  our  minds  loyal  and  true  to  God,  we  must 
carefully  watch  over  our  thoughts. 

And  if  anyone  should  think  of  the  body  in  any  other 
way  than  as  a  sacred  home  for  God,  and  should  keep 
such  thoughts  in  his  mind,  he  would  not  be  a  faithful 
guardian  of  God’s  sacred  home. 


t  Page  113  J 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Then  his  mind  would  become  impure  and  his  will  dis¬ 
loyal  to  God. 

So  if  any  impure  thought  should  come  into  your  mind, 
you  should  at  once  say  a  prayer,  and  then  turn  your 
mind  to  something  which  you  know  will  not  be  dis¬ 
pleasing  to  God. 

Can  the  body  reason,  or  think,  or  understand,  or 
choose  ? 

The  body  cannot  reason ,  or  think ,  or 
understand ,  or  choose . 

So  God  wants  and  expects  each  one  to  use  his  mind 
and  his  will  to  rule  the  body. 

We  should  always  choose  what  the  mind  knows  is 
right.  We  should  never  choose  what  the  body  wants, 
when  the  mind  knows  that  this  would  take  away  from 
the  sacredness  of  God’s  home  within  us. 

So,  you  see,  to  be  pure  in  God  s  sight,  we  must  guard 
our  minds  from  impure  thoughts,  and  rule  our  bodies, 
keeping  them  sacred  temples  of  God. 

Now  you  tell  what  we  mean  when  we  say  that  we  are 
pure. 

Memorize  your  answer. 


[  Page  114  ] 


ORIGINAL  SIN 


We  keep  the  sixth  commandment  perfectly  when  we 
are  pure . 

We  break  the  sixth  commandment  when  we  keep  im¬ 
pure  thoughts  in  our  minds,  or  when  we  do  not  rule 
the  body  to  keep  it  a  pure  and  sacred  home  for  God. 


The  sixth  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery.” 

—  ^ 

Memorize  the  sixth  commandment. 

Let  us  learn  a  little  prayer  to  Our  Heavenly  Father, 
asking  Him  to  dwell  within  us  and  keep  us  pure: 

“Make  true  and  strong  my  mind  and  will 
To  rule  my  body  day  by  day, 

That  it  may  be  a  temple  pure, 

Where  Thou,  O  God,  wilt  always  stay.” 

Review  Questions 

Name  some  sufferings  which  followed  as  a  result  of 
the  sin  committed  by  the  head  of  the  human  family. 

What  is  meant  by  original  sin? 

* 

At  Baptism,  when  you  received  the  most  precious  gift 
of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty,  Who  came 
to  dwell  within  you'? 


[  Page  115  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


What  may  we  call  the  body  when  God  dwells  within 
it? 


To  keep  the  body  a  sacred  temple  for  God,  which 
must  rule,  the  soul  or  the  body? 

What  is  meant  by  being  pure? 

When  we  are  pure,  what  commandment  do  we  keep 
perfectly? 

Say  the  six  commandments  you  have  learned. 

Why  should  we  know  the  meaning  of  God’s  command¬ 
ments? 


[  Page  116  ] 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


Lesson  IX. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  IX.,  let  us  say  the  short 
Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love  and  Contrition,  which  you 
have  learned.  (Lesson  VI.) 

\ 

When  Our  Heavenly  Father  created  the  first  man,  He 
gave  him  one  gift  which  was  more  wonderful  and 
more  valuable  than  any  of  his  other  gifts.  Which  gift 
was  this? 

This  was  the  most  precious  gift  of  shar¬ 
ing  in  God's  brightness  and  beauty. 

And  because  God  gave  the  first  man  the  most  precious 
gift  of  sharing  in  His  brightness  and  beauty,  you 
know  that  the  first  man  became  an  adopted  prince, — 
that  is,  a  loving  child  of  Our  Heavenly  Father’s  king¬ 
dom. 

You  have  also  learned  that  one  of  God’s  gifts  to  the 
first  man  made  it  possible  for  him  to  choose  what  he 
would  or  would  not  do.  Which  gift  was  this? 

T his  gift  was  his  will. 

How  was  this  adopted  prince  to  show  Our  Heavenly 

[  Page  117  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Father,  the  great  King  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  he 
ehose  to  remain  a  noble  prince  forever? 

He  was  to  show  Our  Heavenly  Father 
that  he  chose  to  remain  a  noble  prince 
forever  by  obeying  Our  Heavenly  Fath¬ 
er  s  law. 

Did  the  first  man  choose  to  obey  Our  Heavenly  Fath¬ 
er’s  law  or  to  disobey  it? 

He  chose  to  disobey  it. 

You  know  that  Our  Heavenly  Father  created  the  first 
man  to  be  the  head  of  the  human  family,  and  gave 
him  the  gift  of  clear  knowledge . 

So  when  the  first  man  chose  to  disobey  Our  Heavenly 
Father’s  command,  did  he  commit  a  little  sin  or  a  seri¬ 
ous  sin? 

He  committed  a  serious  sin. 

The  serious  sin  committed  by  the  first  man  is  called 
a  mortal  sin . 

And  we  call  any  serious  sin  a  mortal  sin . 

In  your  last  lesson  you  learned  how  the  first  man 
brought  upon  himself  and  others  very  great  suffering 

and  unhappiness  by  the  way  he  used  his  will  to 
choose. 

In  this  lesson,  let  us  see  how  we  may  bring  upon  our¬ 
selves  and  others  much  suffering  and  unhappiness  by 
the  way  we  use  our  wills  to  choose. 

f  Page  118  ] 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


When  we  have  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in 
God’s  brightness  and  beauty,  we,  too,  are  princes  or 
princesses, — that  is,  loving  children  of  Our  Heavenly 
Father’s  kingdom. 

Does  Our  Heavenly  Father  force  us  to  remain  loving 
children  of  His  kingdom,  or,  like  the  first  man,  can 
we  choose  about  this6? 

We  can  choose  about  this . 

You  have  learned  that  when  the  first  man  chose  to 
commit  mortal  sin,  he  no  longer  had  the  most  precious 
gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty. 

And  after  Baptism,  if  any  one  of  us  should  choose  to 
commit  a  mortal  sin,  would  he  still  have  the  most 
precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and 
beauty,  or  would  he  be  without  this  most  precious 
gift? 

He  would  be  without  the  most  precious 
gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and 

beauty . 

You  know  that  after  the  first  man  had  committed  mor¬ 
tal  sin  he  lost  his  gift  of  clear  knowledge. 

We  say  that  his  mind  was  darkened. 

And  because  of  original  sin,  we  are  born  with  our 
minds  darkened  so  that  we  'never  see  the  things  of 
God  as  clearly  as  the.  first  man  saw  them  before  he 
chose  to  commit  sin. 

Then  suppose  that  after  Baptism,  any  one  of  us 
should  choose  to  commit  a  mortal  sin. 


[  Page  119  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Do  you  think  that  his  mind  could  then  see  the  things 
of  God  as  clearly  as  before  he  committed  the  mortal 
sin,  or  that  his  mind  would  become  still  more  dark¬ 
ened4? 

His  mind  would  become  still  more 

darkened. 

After  the  first  man  had  chosen  to  commit  a  mortal  sin, 
and  there  was  none  of  God’s  brightness  and  beauty  in 
his  soul,  his  will  was  turned  away  from  God. 

Then  he  did  not  love  God. 

And  because  of  original  sin,  our  wills  are  always  in¬ 
clined  to  turn  away  from  God. 

The  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness 
and  beauty  which  we  receive  at  Baptism  helps  our 
wills  to  turn  lovingly  toward  God.  . 

But  if  after  Baptism  any  one  of  us  should  choose  to 
commit  a  mortal  sin,  do  you  think  that  his  will  would 
remain  turned  lovingly  toward  God  as  before,  or  that 
his  will  would  become  turned  away  from  God4? 

His  will  would  become  turned  away 

from  God. 

And  after  the  first  man  had  chosen  to  commit  mortal 
sin,  he  found  that  it  was  not  easy  for  his  mind  and 
his  will  to  rule  or  control  the  body.  For  his  will  had 
become  both  turned  away  from  God  and  weakened. 
And  because  of  original  sin,  we,  too,  find  that  it  is 
not  easy  for  the  mind  and  the  will  to  rule  or  control 
the  body. 

[  Page  120  ] 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


The  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness 
and  beauty  which  God  gives  us  at  Baptism  makes  it 
easier  for  the  mind  and  the  will  to  rule  the  body. 

But  if,  after  Baptism,  any  one  of  us  should  choose  to 
commit  a  mortal  sin,  and  should  lose  his  most  precious 
gift,  do  you  think  that  he  would  then  find  it  as  easy 
as  before  for  his  mind  and  will  to  rule  the  body,  or 
would  it  become  more  difficult? 

I  think  that  he  would  then  find  it  more 
difficult  for  his  mind  and  his  will  to  rule 

the  body. 


You  have  learned  that  when  anyone  commits  a  mor¬ 
tal  sin,  his  mind  is  darkened  by  the  loss  of  God’s 
brightness  and  beauty,  and  his  will  is  deliberately 
turned  away  from  God. 

And  if  anyone  should  die  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin, 
— that  is,  with  his  mind  darkened  and  his  will  de¬ 
liberately  turned  away  from  God,  where  must  he  suf¬ 
fer  forever? 

He  must  suffer  in  hell  forever. 

Of  course,  anyone  who  is  a  loving  child  of  God  would 
never  want  to  commit  a  mortal  sin. 

But  God’s  loving  children  sometimes  commit  little 
sins. 

When  any  loving  child  of  God  commits  little  sins,  do 
you  think  that  his  will  remains  just  as  strong  as  be- 

[  Page  121  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


fore  he  committed  these  little  sins,  or  that  it  becomes 
weaker? 

I  think  that  his  will  becomes  weaker. 

Which  one  do  you  think  is  more  likely  to  commit  a 
mortal  sin,  the  one  whose  will  is  strong,  or  the  one 
whose  will  has  become  weakened  by  committing  many 
little  sins? 

I  think  that  the  one  whose  will  has  be¬ 
come  weakened  is  more  likely  to  com¬ 
mit  a  mortal  sin. 

Which  one  would  show  more  love  for  Our  Heavenly 
Father,  the  one  who  tries  hard  not  to  commit  little 
sins,  or  the  one  who  does  not  try? 


The  one  who  tries  not  to  commit  little 
sins  shows  more  love  for  Our  Heavenly 

Father. 


[  Page  122  ] 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


Which  one  do  you  think  would  receive  more  of  Our 
Heavenly  Father’s  blessings, — the  one  who  tries  hard 
not  to  commit  little  sins,  or  the  one  who  does  not 
try1? 

I  think  the  one  who  tries  hard  not  to 
commit  little  sins  would  receive  more 
•  blessings. 

•• 

You  know  what  follows  when  any  law  of  nature  is 
broken.  What  follows4? 

Suffering  follows . 

And  you  know  that  great  suffering  always  follows 
when  God’s  law  is  broken  by  mortal  sin. 

What  do  you  think  follows  when  God’s  law  is  broken 

by  little  sins4? 

0 

I  think  suffering  follows. 

Big  sins  and  little  sins  cause  much  suffering  while  we 
are  here  upon  this  earth. 

And  if  anyone  should  die  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin , 
what  torments  must  he  suffer  forever4? 

He  must  suffer  the  torments  of  hell 

forever. 

But  suppose  that  one  of  us  should  die.  And  suppose 
that  he  were  not  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin. 


[  Page  123  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Of  course,  he  will  not  have  to  suffer  the  torments  of 
hell. 

But  some  suffering  follows  every  sin,  no  matter  how 
small  the  sin  may  be. 

So,  if  he  has  ever  committed  any  sin  and  has  not 
suffered  for  it  here  on  earth,  and  the  image  and  like¬ 
ness  of  God  in  his  soul  are  not  as  clear  and  perfect 
as  God  wants  them  to  be,  he  must  wait  and  suffer 
for  a  time  before  he  will  have  the  great  happiness 
of  being  with  God  forever  in  heaven. 


What  do  we  call  this  state  of  suffering  where  souls 
have  to  wait  for  a  time  before  they  can  be  with  God 
in  heaven? 

We  call  this  state  of  suffering  purga¬ 
tory. 


Of  course,  little  sins  are  not  called  mortal  sins. 
They  have  a  special  name. 

We  call  them  venial  sins. 


[  Page  124  ] 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 
Summary 

Now  you  have  learned  how  we  may  bring  upon  our¬ 
selves  and  others  much  suffering  and  unhappiness  by 
the  way  we  use  our  wills  to  choose. 


And  you  have  learned  that  when  anyone  uses  his 
mind  and  his  will  to  commit  mortal  sin  the  conse¬ 
quences  are  very  serious. 

Tell  some  of  the  serious  consequences  of  mortal  sin. 

There  is  none  of  God’s  brightness  and 

beauty  in  the  soul. 

The  mind  is  darkened  as  to  the  things 

of  God. 

The  will  is  turned  away  from  God. 

And  if  anyone  dies  in  the  state  of  mor¬ 
tal  sin,  his  mind  will  be  darkened  and 
his  will  turned  away  from  God  forever. 

He  can  never  be  in  heaven  with  God. 

He  must  be  with  the  devils,  and  must 
suffer  the  torments  of  hell  forever. 

[  Page  125  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Now  tell  what  you  have  learned  about  venial  sins 
and  their  consequences. 

What  are  venial  sins? 

Venial  sins  are  little  sins. 

When  anyone  commits  many  venial  sins,  how  is  his 
will  different  from  what  it  was  before  he  committed 
those  sins? 

His  will  is  weakened. 

When  anyone’s  will  is  weakened  by  many  venial  sins, 
then  what  kind  of  sin  is  he  likely  to  commit? 

He  is  likely  to  commit  mortal  sin. 

\ 

After  death,  if  anyone  must  suffer  for  a  time  because 
of  his  venial  sins,  where  must  he  suffer? 

He  must  suffer  in  purgatory. 


You  have  been  learning  some  of  the  laws  or  com¬ 
mandments  which  Our  Heavenly  Father  has  given 
us. 


What  was  the  last  commandment  you  learned? 

The  sixth  commandment. 


[  Page  126  ] 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


Now  let  us  learn  the  seventh  commandment. 

By  the  seventh  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
commands  us  not  to  take  or  keep  anything  which  we 
have  no  right  to  have. 

If  we  take  or  keep  anything  which  we  have  no  right 
to  have,  we  steal. 

Now  tell  what  is  meant  by  stealing . 

The  seventh  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  steal.” 

Memorize  the  seventh  commandment. 


By  the  eighth  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
commands  us  to  show  that  we  love  our  neighbor  as 
ourselves  by  not  telling  lies  about  anyone  and  by  not 
speaking  of  anyone’s  faults  without  good  reason. 

We  break  the  eighth  commandment  if  we  tell  lies  of 
any  kind. 

The  eighth  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy  neigh¬ 
bor.” 

Memorize  the  eighth  commandment. 

[  Page  127  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


The  ninth  commandment  is  very  much  like  the  sixth 
commandment. 

By  the  ninth  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
forbids  us  to  desire  or  even  think  about  anything 
which  would  take  away  the  purity  or  sacredness  of 
God’s  home  within  us. 

The  ninth  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  wife.” 

Memorize  the  ninth  commandment. 


The  tenth  commandment  is  very  much  like  the  sev¬ 
enth  commandment. 

By  the  tenth  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
forbids  us  even  to  desire  to  take  or  keep  what  we  have 
no  right  to  have. 

The  tenth  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor’s  goods.” 
Memorize  the  tenth  commandment. 


Say  the  ten  commandments. 

Find  out  what  your  Catechism  says  about  the  ten 
commandments. 


[  Page  128  ] 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


Review  Questions 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  mortal  sin. 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  venial  sin. 

What  follows  every  sin4? 

What  most  precious  gift  do  we  lose  if  we  commit  a 
mortal  sin4? 

If  we  die  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin,  what  torments 
must  we  suffer  forever4? 

If  it  should  be  necessary  for  anyone  to  suffer  for  a 
time,  after  death,  because  of  his  venial  sins,  what  do 
we  call  this  state  of  suffering4? 

Tell  what  the  seventh  commandment  means. 

Tell  what  the  eighth  commandment  means. 

Tell  what  the  ninth  commandment  means. 

Tell  what  the  tenth  commandment  means. 

Say  the  ten  commandments. 


[  Page  129  ] 


JESUS  OUR  SAVIOUR 


Lesson  X. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  X.,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers: 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 
VI.). 

The  Apostles’  Creed  (as  far  as  learned  in  Lesson 
III.). 

The  Lord’s  Prayer. 

You  have  learned  about  some  of  Our  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther’s  valuable  gifts  to  each  one  of  us. 

Name  these  gifts. 

The  body ,  the  mind 9  the  memory ,  the 
will  and  the  most  precious  gift  of  shar¬ 
ing  in  God's  brightness  and  beauty . 

Which  one  of  these  gifts  is  the  most  precious4? 

The  most  precious  gift  is  the  gift  of 

sharing  in  God's  brightness  and  beauty. 

/ 

You  have  learned  that  if  we  use  these  five  gifts  as 
Our  Heavenly  Father  wants  us  to  use  them,  we  shall 
be  given  a  still  greater  gift  some  day.  Which  gift 
is  this4? 


[  Page  130  ] 


Heaven. 


JESUS  OUR  SAVIOUR 


Which  four  of  these  gifts  are  given  to  us  when  we 
are  created? 

When  we  are  created ,  we  are  given  a 
body ,  a  mind ,  a  memory  and  a  will. 

Why  are  we  not  given  the  most  precious  gift  of  shar¬ 
ing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty  when  we  are 
created? 

When  we  are  created  we  are  not  given 
this  most  precious  gift  because  of 

Adam's  sin. 


In  this  lesson  let  us  learn  what  happened  so  that 
now  we  may  all  have  the  most  precious  gift  of  shar¬ 
ing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty  in  spite  of  Adam’s 
sin  and  all  the  other  sins  which  have  ever  been  com¬ 
mitted. 

But  before  I  can  tell  you  the  wonderful  thing  that 
happened,  we  must  go  back  in  thought  to  the  sad 
time  when  Adam  and  Eve  broke  God’s  law  and  so 
committed  the  first  mortal  sin . 

They  were  then  most  unhappy  and  miserable. 

They  were  in  the  power  of  the  devil  and  they  knew 
that  nothing  they  could  do  would  ever  set  them  free 
from  the  devil’s  power. 

They  also  knew  that  some  day  they  would  die  and 
that  they  never  would  be  in  heaven  with  God. 

[  Page  131  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


But  very  soon  after  that  first  mortal  sin  had  been 
committed  Our  Heavenly  Father  showed  His  power, 
His  Mercy  and  His  Love  by  making  a  Great  Promise. 

This  Great  Promise  was  that  some  day  in  the  future 
One  would  be  born  Who  would  crush  the  devil’s 
power. 


And  now  I  will  tell  you  the  story  of  how  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father  kept  His  Great  Promise. 

Thousands  of  years  after  Our  Heavenly  Father  had 
made  the  Great  Promise,  some  One  did  come  to  live 
upon  this  earth  Who  was  able  to  crush  the  devil’s 
power. 

For  Our  Heavenly  Father  sent  His  very  own  Son. 
And  God's  very  own  Son  was  born  in  a  cold  stable 

outside  the  small  town  of  Bethlehem. 

✓ 

The  Mother  of  God’s  very  own  Son  was  so  lovely,  so 
holy  and  so  filled  with  God’s  brightness  and  beauty 
that  the  Archangel  Gabriel  had  called  her  “full  of 
grace.” 

For  you  will  learn  in  your  next  lesson  how  the  Arch¬ 
angel  had  appeared  to  Mary  some  time  before  this, 
and  had  told  her  that  she  was  to  be  the  Mother  of 
God,  and  that  she  was  to  call  her  Son,  Jesus. 

God’s  very  own  Son  and  the  lovely  Mary  were  cared 
for  and  protected  by  one  whom  Our  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther  knew  and  trusted. 


[  Page  132  ] 


JESUS  OUR  SAVIOUR 


This  one  was  Joseph  of  the  royal  family  of  King 
David. 

The  baby  Jesus  grew  up,  as  all  babies  do, — just  as 
you  did. 

And  He  continued  obeying  His  Mother  Mary  and 
St.  Joseph  even  when  He  was  no  longer  a  child . 

During  the  last  three  years  of  His  life  upon  earth 
Jesus  went  about  from  place  to  place,  teaching  those 
whom  He  met  how  to  know,  to  love  and  to  serve  Our 
Heavenly  Father. 

And  He  taught  them  how  to  pray  to  Our  Heavenly 
Father,  and  how  to  say  the  most  perfect  of  all 
prayers.  Which  prayer  is  this? 

He  also  performed  many  miracles,  such  as  raising  the 
dead  to  life,  making  the  blind  see,  making  the  lame 
walk,  healing  the  sick,  etc. 


[  Page  133  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Jesus’  whole  Life  was  spent  in  doing  good. 

But  when  He  told  the  people  Who  He  was ,  that  is, 
that  He  was  God's  very  own  Son ,  the  devil  tempted 
many  with  a  desire  to  kill  Him . 

And  when  Jesus  was  thirty-three  years  old,  He  suf¬ 
fered  at  the  hands  of  His  enemies,  a  most  cruel  death, 
nailed  to  a  Cross. 


The  day  on  which  Jesus  died  is  called  Good  Friday. 

You  have  learned  that  because  of  mortal  sin  the 
whole  human  family  were  in  the  power  of  the  devil, 
and  could  never  have  had  the  most  precious  gift  of 
sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty  if  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father  had  not  shown  His  Power,  His  Mercy* 
and  His  Love  by  sending  Someone  to  earth  Who  was 
able  to  crush  the  devil’s  power  over  us,  and  to  atone, 
or  make  up,  for  our  sins. 

[  Page  134  ] 


JESUS  OUR  SAVIOUR 


And  you  have  learned  that  it  was  Jesus,  God’s  very 
own  Son,  Who  loved  us  so  much  that  He  came  from 
heaven  to  be  one  of  us,  so  that  He  could  crush  the 
devil’s  power  over  us  and  suffer  the  awful  punish¬ 
ment  which  had  come  upon  us  because  of  mortal  sin. 

For  Jesus’  whole  Life  on  earth  and  His  awful  Death 
upon  the  Cross  were  the  sufferings  which  atoned,  or 
made  up,  for  Adam’s  sin  and  the  sins  of  the  whole 
human  family. 

And  by  His  sufferings  and  cruel  Death  upon  the 
Cross,  Jesus  made  it  possible  for  everyone  of  us  to 
have  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  bright¬ 
ness  and  beauty. 

We  call  Jesus 
God’s  very  own  Son 

The  Second  Person  of  the  Blessed  Trinity 
Our  Saviour 
Our  Redeemer 

Now  you  tell  how  Our  Heavenly  Father  kept  Flis 
Great  Promise,  answering  the  following  questions: 

Whom  did  He  send  to  earth? 


Tell  about  Jesus’  Life  upon  earth. 


[  Page  135  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Tell  about  Jesus’  Death. 

Tell  why  Our  Heavenly  Father  sent  His  only  Son 
to  live  upon  the  earth  as  we  do. 

Tell  several  other  names  which  we  sometimes  use 
when  we  are  speaking  about  Jesus. 


On  the  third  day  after  Jesus  was  crucified  and  died 
upon  the  Cross,  something  happened  which  astonished 
all  those  who  knew  about  it. 

For  on  the  third  day  after  Jesus  was  crucified,  He 
rose  gloriously  from  the  dead ,  to  die  no  more. 

And  by  rising  from  the  dead  Jesus  showed  the  whole 
world  that  the  power  of  the  devil  was  crushed. 

The  day  that  Jesus  rose  from  the  dead  was  the  first 
glorious  Easter  Day. 

After  Jesus  had  risen  from  the  dead,  He  remained 
upon  this  earth  for  forty  days ,  appearing  to  many 
whom  He  had  taught \  so  that  they  would  believe  that 
He  was  truly  Our  Saviour  and  Redeemer. 

And  on  the  fortieth  day,  Jesus,  by  His  own  power, 
ascended  into  heaven. 

We  call  this  day  Ascension  Day. 

Now  tell  what  happened  from  the  time  Jesus  died  on 
the  Cross  until  He  finally  went  to  His  home  in 
heaven. 


f  Page  136  1 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


The  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness 
and  beauty  which  God  gives  us  at  Baptism  makes  it 
easier  for  the  mind  and  the  will  to  rule  the  body. 

But  if,  after  Baptism,  any  one  of  us  should  choose  to 
commit  a  mortal  sin,  and  should  lose  his  most  precious 
gift,  do  you  think  that  he  would  then  find  it  as  easy 
as  before  for  his  mind  and  will  to  rule  the  body,  or 
would  it  become  more  difficult*? 

I  think  that  he  would  then  find  it  more 
difficult  for  his  mind  and  his  will  to  rule 

the  body. 

You  have  learned  that  when  anyone  commits  a  mor¬ 
tal  sin,  his  mind  is  darkened  by  the  loss  of  God’s 
brightness  and  beauty,  and  his  will  is  deliberately 
turned  away  from  God. 

And  if  anyone  should  die  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin, 
— that  is,  with  his  mind  darkened  and  his  will  de¬ 
liberately  turned  away  from  God,  where  must  he  suf¬ 
fer  forever? 

He  must  suffer  in  hell  forever. 

Of  course,  anyone  who  is  a  loving  child  of  God  would 
never  want  to  commit  a  mortal  sin. 

But  God’s  loving  children  sometimes  commit  little 
sins. 

When  any  loving  child  of  God  commits  little  sins,  do 
you  think  that  his  will  remains  just  as  strong  as  be- 

[  Page  121  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


fore  he  committed  these  little  sins,  or  that  it  becomes 
weaker? 

I  think  that  his  will  becomes  weaker . 

Which  one  do  you  think  is  more  likely  to  commit  a 
mortal  sin,  the  one  whose  will  is  strong,  or  the  one 
whose  will  has  become  weakened  by  committing  many 
little  sins? 

I  think  that  the  one  whose  will  has  be¬ 
come  weakened  is  more  likely  to  com¬ 
mit  a  mortal  sin . 

Which  one  would  show  more  love  for  Our  Heavenly 
Father,  the  one  who  tries  hard  not  to  commit  little 
sins,  or  the  one  who  does  not  try? 


The  one  who  tries  not  to  commit  little 
sins  shows  more  love  for  Our  Heavenly 

Father . 


[  Page  122  ] 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


Which  one  do  you  think  would  receive  more  of  Our 
Heavenly  Father’s  blessings, — the  one  who  tries  hard 
not  to  commit  little  sins,  or  the  one  who  does  not 
try? 

I  think  the  one  who  tries  hard  not  to 
commit  little  sins  would  receive  more 

blessings . 

You  know  what  follows  when  any  law  of  nature  is 
broken.  What  follows? 

Suffering  follows. 

And  you  know  that  great  suffering  always  follows 
when  God’s  law  is  broken  by  mortal  sin. 

What  do  you  think  follows  when  God’s  law  is  broken 
by  little  sins? 

I  think  suffering  follows. 

Big  sins  and  little  sins  cause  much  suffering  while  we 
are  here  upon  this  earth. 

And  if  anyone  should  die  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin , 
what  torments  must  he  suffer  forever? 

He  must  suffer  the  torments  of  hell 

forever. 

But  suppose  that  one  of  us  should  die.  And  suppose 
that  he  were  not  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin. 


[  Page  123  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Of  course,  he  will  not  have  to  suffer  the  torments  of 
hell. 

But  some  suffering  follows  every  sin,  no  matter  how 
small  the  sin  may  be. 

So,  if  he  has  ever  committed  any  sin  and  has  not 
suffered  for  it  here  on  earth,  and  the  image  and  like¬ 
ness  of  God  in  his  soul  are  not  as  clear  and  perfect 
as  God  wants  them  to  be,  he  must  wait  and  suffer 
for  a  time  before  he  will  have  the  great  happiness 
of  being  with  God  forever  in  heaven. 


What  do  we  call  this  state  of  suffering  where  souls 
have  to  wait  for  a  time  before  they  can  be  with  God 
in  heaven? 

We  call  this  state  of  suffering  purga¬ 
tory. 


Of  course,  little  sins  are  not  called  mortal  sins. 
They  have  a  special  name. 

We  call  them  venial  sins. 


f  Page  124  ] 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 

(Continued) 

Second  Division 
Summary 

Now  you  have  learned  how  we  may  bring  upon  our¬ 
selves  and  others  much  suffering  and  unhappiness  by 
the  way  we  use  our  wills  to  choose. 

And  you  have  learned  that  when  anyone  uses  his 
mind  and  his  will  to  commit  mortal  sin  the  conse¬ 
quences  are  very  serious. 

Tell  some  of  the  serious  consequences  of  mortal  sin. 

There  is  none  of  God's  brightness  and 

beauty  in  the  soul. 

The  mind  is  darkened  as  to  the  things 

of  God. 

The  will  is  turned  away  from  God. 

And  if  anyone  dies  in  the  state  of  mor¬ 
tal  sin,  his  mind  will  be  darkened  and 
his  will  turned  away  from  God  forever. 

He  can  never  be  in  heaven  with  God. 

He  must  be  with  the  devils,  and  must 
suffer  the  torments  of  hell  forever. 

[  Page  125  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Now  tell  what  you  have  learned  about  venial  sins 
and  their  consequences. 

What  are  venial  sins? 

Venial  sins  are  little  sins. 

When  anyone  commits  many  venial  sins,  how  is  his 
will  different  from  what  it  was  before  he  committed 
those  sins? 

His  will  is  weakened. 

When  anyone’s  will  is  weakened  by  many  venial  sins, 
then  what  kind  of  sin  is  he  likely  to  commit? 

He  is  likely  to  commit  mortal  sin. 

After  death,  if  anyone  must  suffer  for  a  time  because 
of  his  venial  sins,  where  must  he  suffer? 

He  must  suffer  in  purgatory. 


You  have  been  learning  some  of  the  laws  or  com¬ 
mandments  which  Our  Heavenly  Father  has  given 
us. 


What  was  the  last  commandment  you  learned? 

The  sixth  commandment . 


[  Page  126  ] 


MORTAL  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


Now  let  us  learn  the  seventh  commandment. 

By  the  seventh  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
commands  us  not  to  take  or  keep  anything  which  we 
have  no  right  to  have. 

If  we  take  or  keep  anything  which  we  have  no  right 
to  have,  we  steal . 

Now  tell  what  is  meant  by  stealing. 

The  seventh  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  steal.” 

Memorize  the  seventh  commandment. 

By  the  eighth  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
commands  us  to  show  that  we  love  our  neighbor  as 
ourselves  by  not  .telling  lies  about  anyone  and  by  not 
speaking  of  anyone’s  faults  without  good  reason. 

We  break  the  eighth  commandment  if  we  tell  lies  of 
any  kind. 

The  eighth  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy  neigh¬ 
bor.” 

Memorize  the  eighth  commandment. 

[  Page  127  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


The  ninth  commandment  is  very  much  like  the  sixth 
commandment. 

By  the  ninth  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
forbids  us  to  desire  or  even  think  about  anything 
which  would  take  away  the  purity  or  sacredness  of 
God’s  home  within  us. 

The  ninth  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor’s  wife.” 

Memorize  the  ninth  commandment. 


The  tenth  commandment  is  very  much  like  the  sev¬ 
enth  commandment. 

By  the  tenth  commandment  Our  Heavenly  Father 
forbids  us  even  to  desire  to  take  or  keep  what  we  have 
no  right  to  have. 

The  tenth  commandment  is: 

“Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor’s  goods.” 
Memorize  the  tenth  commandment. 


Say  the  ten  commandments. 

Find  out  what  your  Catechism  says  about  the  ten 
commandments. 


[  Page  128  ] 


M  O  R  T  A  L  AND  VENIAL  SIN 


Review  Questions 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  mortal  sin. 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  venial  sin. 

What  follows  every  sin? 

What  most  precious  gift  do  we  lose  if  we  commit  a 
mortal  sin? 

If  we  die  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin,  what  torments 
must  we  suffer  forever? 

If  it  should  be  necessary  for  anyone  to  suffer  for  a 
time,  after  death,  because  of  his  venial  sins,  what  do 
we  call  this  state  of  suffering? 

Tell  what  the  seventh  commandment  means. 

Tell  what  the  eighth  commandment  means. 

\ 

Tell  what  the  ninth  commandment  means. 

Tell  what  the  tenth  commandment  means. 

Say  the  ten  commandments. 


[  Page  129  ] 


JESUS  OUR  SAVIOUR 


Lesson  X. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  X.,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers: 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 
VI.). 

The  Apostles’  Creed  (as  far  as  learned  in  Lesson 
III.). 

The  Lord’s  Prayer. 

You  have  learned  about  some  of  Our  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther’s  valuable  gifts  to  each  one  of  us. 

Name  these  gifts. 

The  body ,  the  mind ,  the  memory ,  the 
will  and  the  most  precious  gift  of  shar¬ 
ing  in  God's  brightness  and  beauty. 

Which  one  of  these  gifts  is  the  most  precious? 

The  most  precious  gift  is  the  gift  of 
sharing  in  God's  brightness  and  beauty. 

You  have  learned  that  if  we  use  these  five  gifts  as 
Our  Heavenly  Father  wants  us  to  use  them,  we  shall 
be  given  a  still  greater  gift  some  day.  Which  gift 
is  this? 


[  Page  130  J 


Heaven. 


JESUS  OUR  SAVIOUR 


Which  four  of  these  gifts  are  given  to  us  when  we 
are  created6? 

When  we  are  created ,  we  are  given  a 
body ,  a  mind ,  a  memory  and  a  will. 


Why  are  we  not  given  the  most  precious  gift  of  shar¬ 
ing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty  when  we  are 
created'? 

When  we  are  created  we  are  not  given 
this  most  precious  gift  because  of 

Adam's  sin. 


In  this  lesson  let  us  learn  what  happened  so  that 
now  we  may  all  have  the  most  precious  gift  of  shar¬ 
ing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty  in  spite  of  Adam  s 
sin  and  all  the  other  sins  which  have  ever  been  com¬ 
mitted. 

But  before  I  can  tell  you  the  wonderful  thing  that 
happened,  we  must  go  back  in  thought  to  the  sad 
time  when  Adam  and  Eve  broke  God  s  law  and  so 
committed  the  first  mortal  sin . 

They  were  then  most  unhappy  and  miserable. 

They  were  in  the  power  of  the  devil  and  they  knew 
that  nothing  they  could  do  would  ever  set  them  free 
from  the  devil’s  power. 

They  also  knew  that  some  day  they  would  die  and 
that  they  never  would  be  in  heaven  with  God. 

[  Page  131  ] 


T  H  E  S  P  I  R  I  T  IJ  A  L  WAY 


But  very  soon  after  that  first  mortal  sin  had  been 
committed  Our  Heavenly  Father  showed  His  power, 
His  Mercy  and  His  Love  by  making  a  Great  Promise. 

This  Great  Promise  was  that  some  day  in  the  future 

One  would  be  born  Who  would  crush  the  devil’s 

« 

power. 


And  now  I  will  tell  you  the  story  of  how  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father  kept  His  Great  Promise. 

Thousands  of  years  after  Our  Heavenly  Father  had 
made  the  Great  Promise,  some  One  did  come  to  live 
upon  this  earth  Who  was  able  to  crush  the  devil’s 
power. 

For  Our  Heavenly  Father  sent  His  very  own  Son. 
And  God' s  very  own  Son  was  born  in  a  cold  stable 

outside  the  small  town  of  Bethlehem. 

The  Mother  of  God’s  very  own  Son  was  so  lovely,  so 
holy  and  so  filled  with  God’s  brightness  and  beauty 
that  the  Archangel  Gabriel  had  called  her  t£full  of 
grace.” 

For  you  will  learn  in  your  next  lesson  how  the  Arch¬ 
angel  had  appeared  to  Mary  some  time  before  this, 
and  had  told  her  that  she  was  to  be  the  Mother  of 
God,  and  that  she  was  to  call  her  Son,  Jesus. 

God’s  very  own  Son  and  the  lovely  Mary  were  cared 
for  and  protected  by  one  whom  Our  Heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther  knew  and  trusted. 


[  Page  132  ] 


JESUS  OUR  SAVIOUR 


This  one  was  Joseph  of  the  royal  family  of  King 
David. 

The  baby  Jesus  grew  up,  as  all  babies  do, — just  as 
yomdid. 

And  He  continued  obeying  His  Mother  Mary  and 
St.  Joseph  even  when  He  was  no  longer  a  child . 

During  the  last  three  years  of  His  life  upon  earth 
Jesus  went  about  from  place  to  place,  teaching  those 
whom  He  met  how  to  know,  to  love  and  to  serve  Our 
Heavenly  Father. 

And  He  taught  them  how  to  pray  to  Our  Heavenly 
Father,  and  how  to  say  the  most  perfect  of  all 
prayers.  Which  prayer  is  this? 

He  also  performed  many  miracles,  such  as  raising  the 
dead  to  life,  making  the  blind  see,  making  the  lame 
walk,  healing  the  sick,  etc. 


[  Page  133  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Jesus’  whole  Life  was  spent  in  doing  good. 

But  when  He  told  the  people  Who  He  was ,  that  is, 
that  He  was  God's  very  own  Son ,  the  devil  tempted 
many  with  a  desire  to  kill  Him . 

And  when  Jesus  was  thirty-three  years  old,  He  suf¬ 
fered  at  the  hands  of  His  enemies,  a  most  cruel  death, 
nailed  to  a  Cross. 


The  day  on  which  Jesus  died  is  called  Good  Friday. 

You  have  learned  that  because  of  mortal  sin  the 
whole  human  family  were  in  the  power  of  the  devil, 
and  could  never  have  had  the  most  precious  gift  of 
sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty  if  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father  had  not  shown  His  Power,  His  Mercy 
and  His  Love  by  sending  Someone  to  earth  Who  was 
able  to  crush  the  devil’s  power  over  us,  and  to  atone, 
or  make  up,  for  our  sins. 

r  Page  134  ] 


JESUS  OUR  SAVIOUR 


And  you  have  learned  that  it  was  Jesus,  God’s  very 
own  Son,  Who  loved  us  so  much  that  He  came  from 
heaven  to  be  one  of  us,  so  that  He  could  crush  the 
devil’s  power  over  us  and  suffer  the  awful  punish¬ 
ment  which  had  come  upon  us  because  of  mortal  sin. 

For  Jesus’  whole  Life  on  earth  and  His  awful  Death 
upon  the  Cross  were  the  sufferings  which  atoned,  or 
made  up,  for  Adam’s  sin  and  the  sins  of  the  whole 
human  family. 

And  by  His  sufferings  and  cruel  Death  upon  the 
Cross,  Jesus  made  it  possible  for  everyone  of  us  to 
have  the  most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  bright¬ 
ness  and  beauty. 

We  call  Jesus 
God's  very  own  Son 

The  Second  Person  of  the  Blessed  Trinity 
Our  Saviour 
Our  Redeemer 


Now  you  tell  how  Our  Heavenly  Father  kept  His 
Great  Promise,  answering  the  following  questions: 

Whom  did  He  send  to  earth*? 


Tell  about  Jesus’  Life  upon  earth. 


[  Page  135  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Tell  about  Jesus’  Death. 

Tell  why  Our  Heavenly  Father  sent  His  only  Son 
to  live  upon  the  earth  as  we  do. 

Tell  several  other  names  which  we  sometimes  use 
when  we  are  speaking  about  Jesus. 


On  the  third  day  after  Jesus  was  crucified  and  died 
upon  the  Cross,  something  happened  which  astonished 
all  those  who  knew  about  it. 

For  on  the  third  day  after  Jesus  was  crucified,  He 
rose  gloriously  from  the  dead ,  to  die  no  more. 

And  by  rising  from  the  dead  Jesus  showed  the  whole 
world  that  the  power  of  the  devil  was  crushed. 

The  day  that  Jesus  rose  from  the  dead  was  the  first 
glorious  faster  Day. 

After  Jesus  had  risen  from  the  dead,  He  remained 
upon  this  earth  for  forty  days ,  appearing  to  many 
whom  He  had  taught ,  so  that  they  would  believe  that 
He  was  truly  Our  Saviour  and  Redeemer. 

And  on  the  fortieth  day,  Jesus,  by  His  own  power, 
ascended  into  heaven. 

We  call  this  day  Ascension  Day. 

Now  tell  what  happened  from  the  time  Jesus  died  on 
the  Cross  until  He  finally  went  to  His  home  in 
heaven. 


[  Page  136  ] 


THE  GLORIOUS  VIRGIN  MARY 


Now  say  the  first  part  of  The  Hail  Mary. 

“Hail,  Mary,  full  of  grace! 

The  Lord  is  with  thee: 

Blessed  art  thou  amongst  women, 

And  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus.” 


The  second  part  of  The  Hail  Mary  teaches  us  to  ask 
the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  to  help  us,  that  is,  to  pray 
for  us  while  we  are  here  on  earth,  and  especially  at 
the  hour  of  death. 

The  second  part  of  the  prayer  is  : 

“Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God, 

Pray  for  us  sinners,  now  and  at  the  hour  of  our 
death.  Amen.” 

Say  this  part  of  The  Hail  Mary. 

Now  say  the  prayer  from  the  beginning. 

Every  time  we  say  The  Hail  Mary  we  honor  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary. 

So  of  course  we  should  say  The  Hail  Mary  as  part  of 
our  morning  and  evening  prayers. 

But  when  we  love  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  very 
much,  we  sometimes  say  many  Hail  Marys ,  one  right 
after  the  other. 


[ Page  153  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


And  while  we  are  saying  these  Hail  Marys  we  think 
about  the  Life  of  Jesus,  and  about  the  life  of  His 
Mother  Mary. 

We  count  the  Hail  Marys  on  a  little  string  of  beads, 
to  which  there  is  attached  a  Cross,  having  on  it  the 
image  of  Jesus. 

We  call  a  Cross  to  which  an  image  of  Jesus  is  nailed, 

a  Crucifix . 

Perhaps  you  know  what  we  call  the  string  of  beads 
to  which  the  Crucifix  is  attached. 

What  do  we  call  it? 

We  call  it  a  Rosary . 

Try  to  find  out  more  about  the  Rosary,  just  exactly 
how  it  is  said,  and  what  Mysteries  we  should  think 
about  while  saying  it. 

There  are  many  other  prayers  which  are  said  to  honor 
the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and  to  obtain  her  help. 

One  of  these  prayers  is  called  The  Memorare . 
Another  prayer  is  the  Hail,  Holy  Queen ,  which  you 
hear  the  priest  say  right  after  Holy  Mass. 

These  prayers  are  in  almost  every  prayer-book,  and  I 
am  sure  you  will  want  to  find  them  and  learn  them. 

We  honor  the  glorious  Virgin  Mary  very  specially  on 
certain  days  called  her  feast-days. 

[  Page  154  ] 


THE  GLORIOUS  VIRGIN  MARY 


The  feast-days  of  the  glorious  Virgin  Mary  are  days 
set  apart  to  honor  some  special  event  or  privilege  in 
her  life,  such  as: 


December  8th: 

September  8th: 

March  25th: 
August  1 5th : 


The  Immaculate  Conception  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary. 

The  Birthday  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Mary. 

The  Annunciation. 

The  Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Vir¬ 
gin  Mary, — that  is,  the  day  we  com¬ 
memorate  the  taking  up  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  both  body  and  soul 
(some  time  after  her  death)  into 
heaven. 


Review  Questions 

Tell,  in  your  own  words,  what  is  meant  by  the  Im¬ 
maculate  Conception  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary. 


Tell  what  you  know  of  the  life  of  the  Blessed  Vir¬ 
gin  Mary  from  the  age  of  three  to  the  age  of  fifteen. 

Tell  what  is  meant  by  The  Annunciation . 


Tell  how  Our  Heavenly  Father  kept  His  Great 
Promise. 

Which  are  the  principal  times  each  day  when  we  kneel 
to  say  our  prayers'? 


[  Page  155  ] 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 


Lesson  XII. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  XII.,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross,  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers: 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 

vi.) 

The  Lord’s  Prayer 
The  Hail  Mary 

The  Apostles’  Creed  (as  far  as  learned  in  Lesson  X.) 


After  Adam’s  sin  Our  Heavenly  Father  promised  that 
some  day  He  would  send  Someone  to  this  earth  who 
would  crush  the  devil’s  power. 

Whom  did  Our  Heavenly  Father  send  to  this  earth 
to  crush  the  devil’s  power? 

He  sent  His  very  own  Son . 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  the  last  three  years 
of  Jesus’  Life  upon  earth. 

He  taught  others  how  to  know ,  to  love, 

and  to  serve  God . 

He  performed  miracles . 

He  suffered  and  died  on  the  Cross. 

[  Page  156  ] 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 


You  have  just  told  me  that  while  Jesus  was  on  earth 
He  went  about  from  place  to  place  teaching  the 
grown-up  people  and  the  little  children,  whom  He 
met,  how  to  know,  to  love  and  to  serve  Our  Heavenly 
Father. 

But  Jesus  knew  that  He  would  not  always  live  upon 
this  earth,  going  from  place  to  place  teaching  those 
whom  He  met. 

So  He  planned  to  leave  a  sure  and  true  Guide  and 
Teacher  upon  this  earth. 


In  this  lesson  let  us  try  to  learn  something  about  the 
Guide  and  Teacher  Jesus  left  us. 

There  were  many  who  followed  Jesus  to  study  Him 
closely  and  listen  to  His  teachings. 


[  Page  157  J 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


But  Jesus  chose  twelve  men  whom  He  asked  to  leave 
all  that  they  had  and  to  stay  with  Him  always. 

What  were  these  twelve  called? 

These  twelve  were  called  the  Apostles. 

One  day  Jesus  called  together  His  Apostles  and  told 
them  to  go  all  over,  teaching  all  the  grown-up  people 
and  the  little  children  of  every  country  and  every 
nation  how  to  know,  to  love,  and  to  serve  God. 

But  to  do  this,  the  Apostles  needed  great  power. 

0 

Who  was  able  to  give  them  the  power  they  needed1? 

Jesus  was  able  to  give  them  the  power 

they  needed. 

Jesus  did  give  these  twelve  Apostles  great  power. 

What  power  do  you  think  Jesus  gave  them  for  the 
sick1? — for  the  dead1? — for  lepers? 

Jesus  gave  them  the  power  to  heal  the 
sick,  to  raise  the  dead,  and  to  cleanse 
lepers.  (St.  Matthew  10:  8.) 

But  Jesus  gave  His  Apostles  even  more  power  than 
this. 

On  the  day  before  Jesus  was  crucified ,  He  made  his 
twelve  Apostles  great  priests,  or,  as  we  would  say, 
bishops. 

f  Page  1S8  ] 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 


This  was  the  beginning  of  Jesus’  Church. 

And  after  Jesus  had  risen  from  the  dead  He  gave 
His  Apostles  the  very  same  power  He  Himself  had. 
For  He  said  to  them: 

“As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  I  also  send 
you.”  (St.  John  20:21.) 

Let  us  learn  what  Jesus  said  to  His  Apostles  at  this 
time. 

Jesus  also  said  to  His  Apostles: 

“All  power  is  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  in 
earth.  Going  therefore,  teach  ,ye  all  na¬ 
tions;  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  .  .  .  and  behold  I  am  with  you  all 
days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the 
world.”  (St.  Matthew  28:  18,  19,  20.) 

Now,  I  am  going  to  ask  you  some  questions  about 
these  words  which  Jesus  spoke. 

As  the  Father  had  sent  Jesus,  whom  did  Jesus  send6? 

Jesus  sent  His  Apostles. 

How  much  power  in  heaven  and  earth  did  Jesus 
have6? 

Jesus  had  all  power  in  heaven  and 

earth. 


[  Page  159  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Whom  did  Jesus  tell  His  Apostles  to  teach'? 

Jesus  told  His  Apostles  to  teach  all 

nations. 

Besides  teaching,  what  else  were  the  Apostles  to  do"? 

The  Apostles  were  to  baptize  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

How  long  did  Jesus  promise  to  be  with  His  Church'? 

Jesus  promised  to  be  with  His  Church 
until  the  end  of  the  world. 

Let  us  memorize  the  words  of  Jesus. 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 

Now,  let  us  find  out  more  about  the  way  Jesus’ 
Church  was  founded. 

Of  course,  Jesus  had  the  power  to  make  or  ordain 
bishops  or  priests  of  His  Church. 

Whom  did  Jesus  make  the  first  bishops  of  His 
Church4? 

Jesus  made  the  Apostles  the  first  bish¬ 
ops  of  His  Church. 


[  Page  160  ] 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 


To  whom  do  you  think  Jesus  gave  the  power  to  make 
other  bishops  and  priests? 


Jesus  gave  the  power  to  His  Apostles 
to  make  other  bishops  and  priests.  (See 
Acts  6:  6;  13:  3;  14:  22.) 


Some  months  before  Jesus  died  a  cruel  death  on  the 
Cross,  He  was  alone  with  His  Apostles,  and  while 
talking  with  them,  Jesus  said  to  the  Apostle  Peter: 


“And  I  say  to  thee:  That  thou  art  Peter; 
and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it. 

And  I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the  king¬ 
dom  of  heaven.  And  whatsoever  thou  shalt 
bind  upon  earth,  it  shall  be  bound  also  in 
heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on 
earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven/’ 

(St.  Matthew  16:  18,  19.) 

Peter  and  the  other  Apostles  knew  that  Jesus  had 
told  them  something  very  important. 

Jesus  had  told  them  that  He  was  going  to  build  or 
begin  something  which  would  last  forever. 

What  did  Jesus  say  that  He  was  going  to  build  or 
begin  ? 

Jesus  said  that  He  was  going  to  begin 

His  Church. 


[  Page  161  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


What  power  did  Jesus  say  would  never  prevail 
against  His  Church'? 

Jesus  said  that  the  gates  of  hell  would 
never  prevail  against  His  Church. 

A  rock,  you  know,  is  very  steady  and  firm  and  strong. 
Of  course,  Jesus  is  the  real  rock  upon  which  His 
Church  was  to  be  built. 

But  when  Jesus  spoke  to  Peter,  He  called  Peter  the 
rock  upon  which  He  would  build  His  Church. 

This  means  that  Jesus  chose  Peter  to  take  His  place, 
— that  is,  to  be  His  representative  as  the  head  of  His 
Church  on  earth. 


You  have  learned  that  Jesus  gave  power  to  all  of  the 
Apostles. 

But  now  you  know  that  Jesus  gave  more  power  to 
one  of  the  Apostles  than  to  any  of  the  others. 

To  which  Apostle  did  Jesus  give  the  most  power'? 

Jesus  gave  the  most  power  to  the  Apos¬ 
tle  Peter. 

Now  let  us  memorize  these  important  words  which 
Jesus  used  when  He  made  Peter  His  representative 
on  earth. 

At  another  time  Jesus  again  spoke  very  specially  to 
Peter.  It  was  the  night  before  Jesus  died. 

[  Page  162  ] 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 


Jesus  said  to  Peter,  calling  him  Simon,  which  was 
Peter’s  other  name: 

“Simon,  Simon,  behold  Satan  hath  desired 
to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat: 

But  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith 
fail  not:  and  thou,  being  once  converted, 
confirm  thy  brethren.” 

(St.  Luke  22:31,  32.) 

What  was  Peter’s  other  name4? 

Simon. 

Who  desired  to  have  Peter? 

Satan  desired  to  have  Peter. 

What  did  Jesus  do  for  Peter  so  that  he  would  be  a 
sure  and  true  guide  and  teacher? 

Jesus  prayed  for  Peter. 

Let  us  learn  exactly  what  Jesus  said  to  Peter  at 
this  time. 

THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 

( Continued ) 

Third  Division 

After  Jesus  had  risen  from  the  dead,  He  appeared  one 
day  to  Peter  and  to  several  other  Apostles  and  dis¬ 
ciples. 


[  Page  163  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


He  ate  with  them  all,  and  then  said  to  Peter: 

“Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me  more 
than  these?  He  saith  to  him:  Yea,  Lord, 
thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith 
to  him:  Feed  my  lambs. 

He  saith  to  him  again:  Simon,  son  of  John, 
lovest  thou  me?  He  saith  to  him:  Yea, 
Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He 
saith  to  him:  Feed  mv  lambs. 

He  saith  to  him  the  third  time:  Simon,  son 
of  John,  lovest  thou  me?  Peter  was  grieved, 
because  he  had  said  to  him  the  third  time : 
Lovest  thou  me?  And  he  said  to  him:  Lord, 
thou  knowest  all  things:  thou  knowest  that 
I  love  thee.  He  said  to  him:  Feed  my 
sheep.”  (St.  John  21:  15-17.) 

Have  you  ever  seen  real  lambs  and  sheep,  or  pic¬ 
tures  of  them?  What  do  we  call  the  person  who 
takes  care  of  the  lambs  and  sheep? 

The  shepherd. 


[  Page  164  ] 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 


From  what  Jesus  said  to  Peter,  we  know  that  Jesus 
wanted  Peter  to  take  care  of  His  lambs  and  sheep. 
Jesus  Himself  took  care  of  His  lambs  and  sheep  be¬ 
fore  He  asked  Peter  to  take  care  of  them. 

This  means  that  Jesus  is  a  Shepherd  and  that  He 
wanted  Peter  to  be  a  shepherd,  when  He  would  no 
longer  be  with  the  lambs  and  sheep. 

Whom  do  you  think  Jesus  meant  by  His  lambs  and 
sheep  ? 

Jesus  called  Himself  the  Good  Shepherd. 

In  Jesus’  Church,  Jesus’  representative,  the  Head  of 
His  Church,  will  always  take  Jesus’  place  as  Good 
Shepherd. 

The  one  who  takes  Jesus’  place  on  earth  as  Good 
Shepherd  has  other  names;  such  as  Holy  Father  and 
Pope . 

What  is  the  name  of  Jesus’  Church? 

The  Holy  Catholic  Church. 

In  another  lesson  you  will  learn  just  what  Jesus 
meant  when  He  said:  “Feed  my  lambs,  feed  my 
sheep.” 


Summary 

Now,  let  us  review  what  we  have  learned  about  our 
Holy  Church. 


[  Page  165  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


What  did  Jesus  plan  so  that  we  would  always  have 
a  sure  and  true  Guide  and  Teacher  upon  this  earth? 

Jesus  planned  His  Church. 

Whom  did  Jesus  pick  out  to  be  the  first  great  priests 
of  His  Church? 

The  Apostles  were  the  first  great 
priests  of  Jesus9  Church. 

From  Whom  did  the  Apostles  or  great  priests  receive 
their  power? 

The  Apostles  or  great  priests  received 
their  power  from  Jesus. 

What  did  Jesus  tell  His  Apostles  to  do? 

Jesus  told  His  Apostles  to  teach  all  na¬ 
tions ,  and  to  baptize  in  the  name  of  the 
Father ,  and  of  the  Son 9  and  of  the  Holy 

Ghost. 

Which  Apostle  did  Jesus  pick  out  to  be  His  repre¬ 
sentative  on  earth? 

Jesus  picked  out  Peter  to  be  His  repre¬ 
sentative  on  earth. 

What  name  do  we  give  to  Jesus’  representative  on 
earth? 

Jesus  representative  on  earth  is  called 
the  Pope  or  Holy  Father. 


[  Page  166  ] 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 


Who  was  the  first  Pope? 

St.  Peter  was  the  first  Pope. 

What  did  Jesus  say  to  Peter  when  He  made  him 
Head  of  the  Church? 

“ And  /  say  to  thee  that  thou  art  Pet  erf9 

etc. 

What  did  Jesus  do  for  Peter,  so  that  Peter’s  faith 
would  not  fail? 

Jesus  prayed  that  Peter  s  jaith  would 

not  fail. 

What  is  the  name  of  Jesus’  Church? 

The  Holy  Catholic  Church. 

What  is  the  name  of  Jesus’  representative  on  earth 
today  ? 

Find  in  your  Catechism  the  Lesson  on  Holy  Church. 

0 

Memorize  the  statements. 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 

( Continued ) 

Fourth  Division 

When  Jesus  began  His  Church  on  earth,  He  said 
something  to  His  Apostles  which  makes  us  knowT  that 

[  Page  167  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


when  we  listen  to  the  Church  we  listen  to  Jesus. 
This  is  what  Jesus  said: 

“He  that  heareth  you,  heareth  me;  and  he 
that  despiseth  you,  despiseth  me.” 

(St.  Luke  10:  16.) 

Let  us  memorize  these  words  of  Jesus. 


The  Church,  our  true  Teacher  and  Guide,  has  laid 
down  six  laws  for  us  to  follow. 

And  Holy  Church  tells  us  that  it  is  a  mortal  sin 
to  disobey  these  laws. 

We  keep  one  of  these  laws  every  Sunday,  and  on 
certain  other  important  days. 

Perhaps  you  can  tell  this  first  law  of  Holy  Church. 
What  is  it? 

Let  us  learn  the  first  commandment  of  Holy  Church, 
as  it  is  in  the  Catechism. 


I  o  assist  at  Mass  on  Sundays  and  holydays 
of  obligation.” 

I  will  tell  you  what  the  holydays  of  obligation  are. 
But  even  if  you  forget  them,  the  priest  will  remind 

[  Page  168  ] 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 


you  at  Holy  Mass  on  the  Sunday  which  comes  before 
the  holyday. 

The  holydays  of  obligation  are : 

Christmas  and  New  Year’s,  of  course,  and  then  these 
four  others: 

Feast  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  December  8th. 
Feast  of  the  Ascension,  forty  days  after  Easter. 
Feast  of  the  Assumption,  August  15th. 

Feast  of  All  Saints,  November  1st. 

Let  us  memorize  these  holydays. 

Now,  let  us  again  say  the  first  commandment  of  Holy 
Church. 

We  keep  the  second  law  or  commandment  of  Holy 
Church  every  Friday,  and  on  certain  other  days. 
What  do  we  do  every  Friday  to  show  that  we  remem¬ 
ber  what  Jesus  did  for  us  on  Good  Friday1? 

Another  way  of  saying  “We  do  not  eat  meat,”  is  to 
say,  “We  abstain  from  meat.” 

Besides  abstaining  from  meat  on  Fridays  and  certain 
other  days,  Holy  Church  commands  us  to  keep  certain 
fast  days,  that  is,  days  on  which  only  one  meal  is 
eaten. 

Everyone,  even  little  children,  must  abstain  from 
meat. 


[  Page  169  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


But  only  grown-up  people,  who  are  not  sick,  are  com¬ 
manded  to  keep  fast-days. 

The  second  law  of  Holy  Church  is: 

“To  fast  and  abstain  on  the  days  ap¬ 
pointed.” 

Let  us  learn  the  second  commandment  of  Holy 
Church. 

The  third  and  fourth  commandments  of  Holy  Church 
are  about  “going  to  confession”  and  “receiving  Holy 
Communion.” 

All  of  God’s  loving  children  want  to  go  to  confession 
and  receive  Holy  Communion  very  often. 

The  third  and  fourth  commandments  of  Holy  Church 
are  for  those  who  forget  God  so  much  that  they  do  not 
go  to  confession  and  Holy  Communion  frequently,  as 
God’s  loving  children  do. 

The  third  commandment  of  Holy  Church  is: 

“To  confess  at  least  once  a  year.” 

The  fourth  commandment  is: 

“To  receive  Holy  Communion  during  the 
Easter  time.” 


[  Page  1 70  ] 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 


Let  us  memorize  the  third  and  fourth  commandments 
of  Holy  Church. 

By  the  fifth  commandment,  Holy  Church  commands 
us  to  help  support  the  Church. 

Jesus  asks  His  priests  to  give  up  all  that  they  have  to 
do  for  Him  a  work  that  no  one  else  can  do. 

Jesus  does  not  ask  everyone  to  do  this. 

But  He  wants  and  expects  every  grown-up  person  and 
little  child  to  give  something  to  His  Church. 

The  fifth  commandment  of  Holy  Church  is: 

“To  contribute  to  the  support  of  our  pas¬ 
tors.55 

Let  us  memorize  the  fifth  commandment  of  Holy 
Church. 

The  sixth  commandment  of  Holy  Church  is  not  for 
children. 

It  is  for  grown-up  people. 

The  sixth  commandment  of  Holy  Church  tells  us : 

“Not  to  marry  against  the  laws  of  the 
Church.55 

Now,  say  the  six  commandments  of  Holy  Church. 

Find  what  the  Catechism  says  about  the  six  com - 

mandments  of  Holy  Church. 


[  Page  171  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Review  Questions 

Say  the  ten  commandments  of  God. 

Say  the  six  commandments  of  Holy  Church. 

Tell  what  you  know  about  the  beginning  of  Jesus’ 
Church. 

% 

From  Whom  did  the  Apostles  obtain  their  power? 

Repeat  what  Jesus  said  when  He  made  Peter  the  first 
Pope. 


r  Page  17 2  ] 


THE  SACRAMENTS— THE  SACRAMENT  OF 

BAPTISM 


Lesson  XIII. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  XIII.,  let  us  make  the 
Sign  of  the  Cross,  and  say  the  short  Acts  of  Faith, 
Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  which  you  have  learned. 
(Lesson  VI.) 

What  do  we  mean  when  we  say  that  we  are  created 
in  the  state  of  original  sin? 

(Any  of  the  following  answers  may  be  accepted.) 

“We  mean  that  when  we  are  created,  we 

have  no  grace.” 

“We  mean  that  when  we  are  created,  we 
are  not  God’s  loving  children,  and  have 
no  right  to  heaven.” 

“By  original  sin  we  mean  the  sin  that  we 
inherit  from  our  first  parents.” 

Whom  did  Our  Heavenly  Father  send  to  live  upon 

[  Page  1 73  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


this  earth,  to  suffer  and  die  for  us  so  that  we  could  all 
have  grace  and  heaven? 

Our  Heavenly  Father  sent  Jesus. 

Now  let  us  find  out  about  the  different  ways  Jesus 
provided  for  giving  us  grace . 

But  before  I  tell  you  about  these  different  ways,  let 
us  try  to  picture  to  ourselves  a  beautiful  fountain. 

Picture  the  water  coming  from  some  hidden  source  or 
spring  with  such  force  that  it  bubbles  up  and  over¬ 
flows  in  many  streams. 

Suppose  the  sun  were  shining. 

If  the  sun  were  shining  upon  these  streams  of  water 
coming  from  the  fountain,  how  would  the  water  look? 

The  water  would  look  sparkling. 

If  you  have  ever  seen  a  fountain,  tell  about  the  foun¬ 
tain,  and  where  you  saw  it. 

Now,  let  us  talk  about  another  fountain;  but  this 
fountain  instead  of  sending  forth  streams  of  water 
sends  forth  streams  of  God’s  own  brightness  and 
beauty;  that  is,  streams  of  grace. 

Jesus’  Church  is  the  fountain  which  sends  forth  these 
streams  of  grace. 

But  Jesus,  of  course,  is  the  hidden  Source  of  this 
fountain. 

[  Page  1 74  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM 


Jesus  sends  His  grace  through  His  Church  in  seven 
streams  called  the  Seven  Sacraments. 

We  cannot  see  the  streams  of  grace  which  Jesus  sends 
to  us  through  the  Sacraments  of  His  Church. 

But  Jesus,  Himself,  has  told  us  about  these  seven 
streams  of  grace,  and  He  has  given  each  Sacrament 
a  special  sign  which  makes  us  know  which  stream  of 
grace  we  are  receiving. 

Now,  let  us  review  what  we  have  learned  thus  far 
about  the  Sacraments. 

Who  is  the  Source  of  grace? 

What  did  we  say  is  like  a  fountain  sending  forth 
streams  of  grace? 

How  many  special  streams  of  grace  are  there? 
What  do  we  call  these  seven  special  streams  of  grace? 
When  anyone  goes  to  the  Church  to  receive  grace  for 
the  first  time,  he  receives  it  through  one  special  stream 

or  Sacrament. 


[  Page  175  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


What  is  the  name  of  this  special  stream  or  Sacrament"? 

Baptism . 

Later  on  you  will  learn  about  the  other  six  special 
streams  or  Sacraments. 

But  in  this  lesson  let  us  learn  more  about  The  Sacra¬ 
ment  of  Baptism. 

There  is  a  special  sign  which  makes  us  know  that  we 
are  receiving  the  grace  which  Baptism  gives. 

Perhaps  you  already  know  which  sign  Jesus  chose  for 
the  Sacrament  of  Baptism. 

When  anyone  goes  to  the  Church  to  receive  the  Sacra¬ 
ment  of  Baptism,  the  priest  pours  water  upon  the 
head  of  the  person  to  be  baptized,  saying: 

“I  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.” 

One  part  of  this  sign  is  what  the  priest  says. 

What  does  he  say? 

“I  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the 
Father ,  and  of  the  Son ,  and  of  the  Holy 

Ghost !9 

The  other  part  of  the  sign  is  what  the  priest  does. 
What  does  he  do? 

The  priest  pours  water  upon  the  head 
of  the  person  to  be  baptized . 

These  two  parts  of  the  sign  must  not  be  separated, 
but  must  take  place  at  the  same  time. 

[  Page  176] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM 


Perhaps  you  are  wondering  why  water  is  used  as  part 
of  the  sign  for  Baptism. 

What  does  water  do  for  anything  that  is  stained  and 
darkened? 

It  makes  it  clean  and  bright . 

Why  do  we  say  that  the  soul  is  darkened  before  Bap¬ 
tism? 

We  say  that  the  soul  is  darkened  be¬ 
cause  it  is  in  the  state  of  original  sin ,  or 
because  there  is  none  of  God’s  bright¬ 
ness  and  beauty  in  the  soul . 

You  see,  water  is  used  as  part  of  this  sign  to  show 
that  the  soul  is  no  longer  darkened  by  original  sin, 
but  is  brightened  with  grace. 

The  words  which  the  priest  says  show  that  grace  is 
given  through  the  power  of  the  Blessed  Trinity. 

Now,  you  tell  what  you  have  learned  about  the  sign 
used  in  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism. 

THE  SACRAMENTS— THE  SACRAMENT 

OF  BAPTISM 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 

Let  us  think  for  a  while  about  the  great  changes  Bap¬ 
tism  makes  in  anyone. 


[  Page  177  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Before  Baptism  we  were  in  the  state  of  original  sin. 
What  does  this  mean? 

After  Baptism,  instead  of  the  soul  being  darkened  by 
original  sin,  what  change  takes  place  in  it? 

When  anyone  receives  grace,  whose  loving  child  does 
he  become? 

Where  do  God’s  loving  children  belong? 

Because  Baptism  makes  such  a  great  change  in  any¬ 
one,  it  never  can  be  given  but  once. 

Jesus  called  the  great  change  which  Baptism  makes 
“being  born  again.” 

Let  us  learn  just  what  Jesus  said. 

“Amen,  amen  I  say  to  thee,  unless  a  man  be 
born  again  of  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  he 
cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.” 

(St.  John  3:5.) 


Summary 

Tell  about  the  different  ways  Jesus  provided  for  giv¬ 
ing  us  grace. 

T  ell  what  you  know  about  the  first  Sacrament  which 
anyone  receives. 

Find  in  your  Catechism  the  lesson  on  Baptism. 
Memorize  the  statements. 


I  Page  1 78  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM 


You  know  that  it  was  to  the  Bishops  and  priests  of 
Jesus’  Church  that  Jesus  gave  the  power  to  baptize. 

Why  should  every  little  baby  be  brought  to  the 
Church  very  soon  after  he  is  born,  to  be  baptized  by 
the  priest? 

The  baby  should  be  baptized  as  soon  as 
possible  so  that  he  may  become  a  child 
of  God ,  and 9  if  he  should  die9  would  be¬ 
long  in  heaven . 


Parents  commit  a  serious  sin  if  they  neglect  to  have 
the  baby  baptized  while  he  is  still  a  little  baby. 

But  Holy  Church  is  like  a  good  mother.  She  takes 
special  care  of  her  sick  children. 

If  a  little  baby  should  be  too  weak  and  sick  to  be 
brought  to  the  Church,  and  those  who  are  taking  care 

[  Page  179  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


of  him  think  that  he  will  die,  Holy  Church  wants 
anyone  who  is  near  to  baptize  this  little  baby. 

But  Holy  Church  wants  this  to  be  done  only  if  there 
is  danger  that  the  baby  may  die  before  a  priest  can 
come. 

If  the  person  who  baptized  the  little  baby  does  it 
exactly  as  the  Church  teaches  us  to  do  at  such  times, 
the  little  baby  receives  the  most  precious  gift  of  grace, 
and  becomes  a  child  of  God. 

But  if  the  little  sick  baby  should  become  well  and 
strong  again,  he  should  then  be  brought  to  the  Church 
so  that  the  priest  may  perform  the  usual  ceremonies 
which  belong  to  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism. 

You  see  how  necessary  it  is  for  everyone  to  know 
exactly  how  to  baptize. 

Now,  tell  just  what  you  would  do  if  you  were  bap¬ 
tizing  a  little  dying  baby. 

THE  SACRAMENTS— THE  SACRAMENT  OF 

BAPTISM 

( Continued ) 

Third  Division 

•  •  i 

You  know  that  when  a  little  baby  is  brought  to  the 
Church  to  be  baptized,  he  must  have  a  godfather  or 
godmother,  or  both. 

[  Page  180  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM 


But  perhaps  you  do  not  know  why  it  is  necessary  to 
have  a  godfather  or  godmother. 

When  the  priest  is  baptizing  the  little  baby,  he  asks 
him  to  make  certain  promises. 

The  godfather  or  godmother  makes  these  promises  for 
the  little  baby,  and  it  is  the  godfather’s  or  godmoth¬ 
er’s  duty  to  make  sure  that  these  promises  are  kept. 
They  must  make  sure  that  the  little  baby  is  brought 
up  to  be  a  loving  child  of  God,  and  an  obedient  mem¬ 
ber  of  Jesus’  Church. 

To  be  an  obedient  member  of  Holy  Church  everyone 
must  know  the  chief  truths  which  the  Church  teaches. 

Which  prayer  contains  the  chief  truths  we  must  be¬ 
lieve1? 

The  Apostles 9  Creed. 

When  a  little  baby  is  being  baptized,  the  priest  asks 
the  little  baby  if  he  believes  what  The  Apostles’  Creed 
teaches. 

The  godfather  or  godmother  answers  for  the  little 
baby  : 

“I  do  believe.” 

You  already  know  most  of  The  Apostles’  Creed. 

Say  the  part  of  The  Apostles  Creed  which  tells  us 
what  we  must  believe  about  God,  the  Father. 

[  Page  181  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Say  the  part  which  tells  us  what  we  must  believe 
about  God  the  Son. 

Now  let  us  learn  the  last  part  of  The  Apostles  Creed. 

It  begins  by  an  Act  of  Faith  in  God  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  exact  words  are : 

“I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost.” 

Then  follows  an  Act  of  Faith  in  the  Holy  Catholic 
Church. 

We  say  these  two  Acts  of  Faith  together,  this  way: 

“I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Holy 
Catholic  Church.” 

Let  us  learn  this  part  of  The  Apostles'  Creed . 

Then  follows  a  list  of  Articles  of  Faith  which  we  must 
believe. 

One  of  the  Articles  of  Faith  is: 

“The  Communion  of  Saints.” 

What  does  this  mean4? 

The  Communion  of  Saints  means  that 
everyone  who  has  the  most  precious  gift 
of  grace , — the  gift  of  sharing  in  God's 
brightness  and  beauty, — whether  on 
earth,  in  purgatory,  or  in  heaven,  be - 
longs  to  the  same  great  family .  (Les¬ 
son  VI.) 


[  Page  182  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM 


Another  Article  of  Faith  is: 


“The  forgiveness  of  sins.” 

You  know  a  little  about  this  Article  of  Faith  already, 
but  you  will  learn  more  about  it  in  the  lesson  on  Con¬ 
fession. 

Now,  say  all  that  you  have  learned  today  of  The 
Apostles'  Creed . 

“I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Holy 
Catholic  Church,  the  Communion  of  Saints, 
the  forgiveness  of  sins.” 

You  know  God  created  us,  body  and  soul. 

For  this  reason  God  wants  us,  body  and  soul,  to  be 
happy  with  Him  forever  in  heaven. 

It  is  an  Article  of  Faith  that  at  the  end  of  the  world 
the  bodies  of  the  dead  will  rise  again  to  be  united 
to  their  souls  once  more. 

Jesus  not  only  rose  from  the  dead  Himself,  but  He 
said  that  He  would  raise  all  the  dead  to  life  again. 

These  are  the  words  of  Jesus: 

“The  hour  cometh,  wherein  all  that  are  in 
the  graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of 

[  Page  183  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


God.  And  they  that  have  done  good  things, 
shall  come  forth  unto  the  resurrection  of 
life;  but  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the 
resurrection  of  judgment. 

(St.  John  5:28,  29.) 

Those  who  have  tried  to  know,  to  love  and  to  serve 
God  while  on  earth  will  be  happy,  both  body  and 
soul,  in  heaven. 

Those  who  have  turned  away  from  God  and  have  dis¬ 
obeyed  Him,  will  suffer  torments,  both  body  and  soul, 
in  hell. 

Everyone’s  body  will  share  either  in  the  happiness  or 
the  unhappiness  of  his  soul.1 

This  Article  of  Faith  is  called: 

“The  Resurrection  of  the  body.” 

Now,  say  all  that  you  have  learned  of  the  last  part  of 
The  Apostles  Creed . 

The  last  Article  of  Faith  is: 

“And  the  life  everlasting.” 

luMan  is,  therefore,  to  rise  again  in  the  same  body  with  which  he  served  God,  or 
was  a  slave  to  the  devil;  that  in  the  same  body  he  may  experience  rewards  and  a 
crown  of  victory,  or  endure  the  severest  punishments  and  torments.” — Catechism  of 
the  Council  of  Trent. 

f  Page  184  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM 


What  does  this  mean'? 

This  means  that  we  shall  live  forever. 

We  end  The  Apostles'  Creed  by  saying: 

“Amen.” 

Say  all  that  you  have  learned  in  this  lesson  of  The 
Apostles  Creed . 

Now  say  The  Apostles'  Creed  from  the  beginning. 


Review  Questions 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  the  Sacraments. 
Tell  what  you  know  about  Baptism. 

Say  The  Apostles’  Creed. 

What  is  meant  by  The  Resurrection  of  the  Body? 

Tell  how  Jesus  founded  His  Church. 

What  did  Jesus  say  to  the  Apostles  when  He  com¬ 
manded  them  to  baptize  and  teach  all  nations4? 


[  Page  185  ] 


THE  SACRIFICES  OF  THE  OLD  LAW 


Lesson  XIV. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  XIV.,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross,  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers: 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 

VL) 

The  Lord’s  Prayer 
The  Hail  Mary 
The  Apostles’  Creed 

We  have  learned  that  Jesus  founded  or  began  His 
Church  to  be  as  a  Fountain  sending  forth  seven 
streams  of  grace. 

What  do  we  call  these  seven  streams  of  grace 

We  call  these  seven  streams  of  grace 
the  Seven  Sacraments. 

We  have  also  learned  that  Jesus  founded  His  Church 
to  be  our  Guide  and  Teacher. 

But  before  Jesus  came  to  live  upon  this  earth,  Our 
Heavenly  Father  had  made  known  to  the  people, 
through  Moses  and  other  prophets,  how  He  wanted 
them  to  worship  Him. 

r  Page  186  ] 


SACRIFICES  OF  THE  OLD  LAW 


In  this  lesson  let  us  learn  how  the  people  worshipped 
Our  Heavenly  Father  up  to  the  time  when  Jesus  came 
to  teach  another  way. 

From  the  very  beginning  Our  Heavenly  Father 
showed  that  He  was  pleased  when  the  children  of 
Adam’s  big  family  offered  Him  gifts  from  the  fruits 
of  the  land,  such  as  bread,  wine,  oil,  salt,  etc.;  and 
the  very  best  firstlings  of  their  flock,  such  as  oxen, 
sheep,  goats  and  little  pigeons.  (Genesis  4:3,  4. 
Leviticus  1:8.) 

Now  you  tell  some  gifts  which  Our  Heavenly  Father 
was  pleased  to  receive  from  the  people. 

The  animals  to  be  offered  were  first  killed,  and  then 
either  entirely  or  partly  burned.  (Leviticus  3:7-11.) 

What  was  not  burned  of  the  animals  or  firstfruits 
could  be  eaten  by  the  priests  and  people. 

When  the  animal  was  entirely  burned ,  the  sacrifice 
was  called  a  holocaust . 

God’s  chosen  people  offered  their  gifts  to  God  as  a 
sign  that  they  were  really  offering  their  lives  to  Flim, 
to  serve  Him  in  whatever  way  He  wanted  to  be 
served. 

And  the  animals  were  killed,  before  being  offered  in 


[ Page  187  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


sacrifice,  as  a  sign  that  God  was  the  Ruler  and  Mas¬ 
ter  of  the  people  and  all  they  possessed,  and  also  as  a 
sign  that  the  people  were  sorry  for  their  sins,  and 
knew  that  they  deserved  punishment  for  them. 

Now  you  tell  two  reasons  why  the  animals  were  killed 
before  being  offered  in  sacrifice. 

This  way  of  worshipping  God  by  offering  Him  the 
firstfruits  of  the  land  and  the  very  best  firstlings  of 
the  flocks  is  called  offering  sacrifice  according  to  The 
Old  Law . 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  thus  far  about  the  sacrifices 
of  The  Old  Law. 


In  The  Old  Law  the  Jews  were  called  God’s  chosen 
people. 

Perhaps  you  remember  whom  God  picked  out  to  lead 
the  chosen  people  out  of  the  Land  of  Egypt  where 
they  had  been  so  cruelly  treated.  Who  was  their 
leader? 

Their  leader  was  Moses. 

You  remember  that  the  wicked  Egyptian  King  Pha¬ 
raoh  broke  many  promises,  and  would  not  let  the 
chosen  people  stop  their  work  long  enough  to  go  to 
offer  sacrifice  to  God  as  God  wanted  them  to  do. 


[  Page  188  ] 


SACRIFICES  OF  THE  OLD  LAW 


And  you  remember  how  God  punished  Pharaoh  and 
his  people  many  times. 

Tell  the  story  of  how  God  punished  the  Egyptian 
King  Pharaoh  and  his  people  by  frogs, — by  dark¬ 
ness, — and  by  changing  the  waters  of  the  rivers  into 
blood.  (See  Lesson  III.) 

God  also  punished  the  cruel  Egyptians  in  many  other 
ways. 

But  there  was  one  punishment  that  was  worse  than 
all  the  others. 

For  God  told  Moses  that  on  a  certain  day  the  first¬ 
born  of  Pharaoh’s  family  and  every  other  Egyptian 
family,  and  even  the  firstborn  of  all  the  animals, 
would  die. 

God  said: 

“And  I  will  pass  through  the  land  of  Egypt 
that  night,  and  will  kill  every  firstborn  in 
the  land  of  Egypt  both  man  and  beast:  and 
against  all  the  gods  of  Egypt  I  will  execute 
judgments:  I  am  the  Lord.” 

(Exodus  12:  12.) 

But  Our  Heavenly  Father  would  spare  the  families 
of  the  chosen  people. 

Not  one  of  them  would  be  killed  that  night. 

And  Our  Heavenly  Father  told  Moses  exactly  what 
the  chosen  people  were  to  do  to  be  saved. 


[Page  189  j 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


He  made  known  that  on  a  certain  day  the  head  of 
each  family  was  to  sacrifice  a  lamb,  and  He  also  told 
them  exactly  about  the  ceremony  connected  with  the 
sacrifice  of  the  lamb. 

The  most  important  part  of  this  ceremony  was  that 
each  house  was  to  have  the  door-posts  sprinkled  with 
the  blood  of  the  lamb,  and  Moses  told  the  people 
why  this  should  be  done. 

Moses  said: 

“For  the  Lord  will  pass  through  striking  the 
Egyptians:  and  when  he  shall  see  the  blood 
on  the  transom,  and  on  both  the  posts,  he 
will  pass  over  the  door  of  the  house,  and  not 
suffer  the  destroyer  to  come  into  your  houses 
and  to  hurt  you.”  (Exodus  12:  23) . 

God  had  made  this  known  to  Moses  when  He  said : 

“And  the  blood  shall  be  unto  you  for  a  sign 
in  the  houses  where  you  shall  be :  and  I  shall 
see  the  blood,  and  shall  pass  over  you:  and 
the  plague  shall  not  be  upon  you  to  destroy 
you,  when  I  shall  strike  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  this  day  shall  be  for  a  memorial  to  you : 
and  you  shall  keep  it  a  feast  to  the  Lord  in 
your  generations  with  an  everlasting  ob¬ 
servance.”  (Exodus  12:  13,  14.) 

Of  course,  the  chosen  people  did  exactly  as  Our  Heav¬ 
enly  Father  had  commanded,  and  on  the  appointed 
night  the  firstborn  of  man  and  beast  in  every  Egyp¬ 
tian  house  was  killed. 


[  Page  190  ] 


SACRIFICES  OF  THE  OLD  LAW 


But  no  one  was  killed  in  the  houses  where  the  door¬ 
posts  were  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  the  lamb. 

Let  us  read  from  the  Bible  about  this: 

“And  Pharaoh  arose  in  the  night,  and  all  his 
servants,  and  all  Egypt;  and  there  arose  a 
great  cry  in  Egypt:  for  there  was  not  a 
house  wherein  there  lay  not  one  dead. 

And  Pharaoh  calling  Moses  and  Aaron  in 
the  night,  said:  Arise  and  go  forth  from 
among  my  people,  you  and  the  children  of 
Israel:  go,  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  as  you  say. 
Your  sheep  and  herds  take  along  with  you, 
as  you  demanded,  and  departing,  bless  me. 

And  the  Egyptians  pressed  the  people  to  go 
forth  out  of  the  land  speedily,  saying:  We 
shall  all  die.”  (Exodus  12:30-33.) 

[  Page  191  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Then  the  chosen  people  went  out  of  the  Land  of 
Egypt  into  the  desert,  to  offer  sacrifice  to  God. 

Now  you  tell  how  God  punished  the  cruel  Egyptians, 
and  saved  the  chosen  people. 

God  told  Moses  to  command  the  chosen  people  to 
celebrate  a  feast  each  year,  so  that  they  would  always 
remember  how  He  had  spared  their  families  and  had 
brought  them  safely  out  of  the  Land  of  Egypt.  (Ex¬ 
odus  12:24-27.) 

This  was  to  be  their  greatest  feast. 

It  was  to  be  celebrated  by  sacrificing  lambs. 

And  some  part  of  the  lamb  was  to  be  eaten  by  each 
family. 

This  great  feast  was  called  the  Pasch  or  Passover,  be¬ 
cause  it  was  celebrated  in  memory  of  the  night  when 
God  passed  over  the  houses  of  the  chosen  people,  sav¬ 
ing  them,  but  destroying  the  firstborn  of  the  Egyptian 
families. 

The  chosen  people  never  forgot  to  celebrate  the  Pasch 
each  year. 

They  also  consecrated  their  firstborn  sons  to  God,  in 
memory  of  the  night  when  all  the  firstborn  of  the 
Egyptians  were  killed,  and  all  the  firstborn  of  the 
chosen  people  were  spared. 

You  probably  remember  the  story  of  how  the  Egyp¬ 
tians  were  sorry  that  they  let  the  chosen  people  go, 

[  Page  192  ] 


SACRIFICES  OF  THE  OLD  LAW 


and  how  they  followed  them  to  the  Red  Sea,  where 
they  were  drowned. 

But  what  we  need  to  remember  for  this  lesson  is  the 
Feast  of  the  Passover. 

Tell  about  the  Feast  of  the  Passover,  and  why  it  was 
celebrated  each  year. 


THE  SACRIFICES  OF  THE  OLD  LAW 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 
Summary 

Now  let  us  review  what  we  have  learned  thus  far 
about  worshipping  God  according  to  The  Old  Law. 

How  was  God  worshipped  according  to  The  Old 
Law? 

How  did  the  people  know  about  this  way  of  worship¬ 
ping  God? 

What  is  meant  by  a  holocaust? 

Tell  about  the  first  Feast  of  the  Passover. 

[  Page  193  J 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Why  was  the  Feast  of  the  Passover  to  be  celebrated 
every  year? 


There  is  an  unusual  story  in  the  Bible  about  a  holy 
man  who  was  asked  by  God  to  offer  a  most  extraor¬ 
dinary  sacrifice. 

A  great  deal  depended  upon  whether  this  holy  man 
would  have  faith  in  God  and  obey  Him,  or  not. 

The  holy  man  did  have  great  faith  in  God,  and  he 
did  obey  God. 

But  he  had  no  idea  how  much  depended  upon  his 
obedience. 

Let  us  read  the  story  just  the  way  it  is  told  in  the 
Bible. 

God  said  to  Abraham: 

“Take  thy  only  begotten  son  Isaac,  whom 
thou  lovest,  and  go  into  the  land  of  vision: 
and  there  thou  shalt  offer  him  for  an  holo¬ 
caust  upon  one  of  the  mountains  which  I 
will  shew  thee. 

So  Abraham  rising  up  in  the  night,  saddled 
an  ass:  and  took  with  him  two  young  men, 
and  Isaac  his  son:  and  when  he  had  cut 

[  Page  194  ] 


SACRIFICES  OF  THE  OLD  LAW 


wood  for  the  holocaust  he  went  his  way  to 
the  place  which  God  had  commanded  him. 
And  on  the  third  day,  lifting  up  his  eyes,  he 
saw  the  place  afar  off. 

And  he  said  to  his  young  men :  Stay  you  here 
with  the  ass:  I  and  the  boy  will  go  with 
speed  as  far  as  yonder,  and  after  we  have 
worshipped,  will  return  to  you. 

And  he  took  the  wood  for  the  holocaust,  and 
laid  it  upon  Isaac  his  son:  and  he  himself 
carried  in  his  hands  fire  and  a  sword.  And 
as  they  two  went  on  together, 

Isaac  said  to  his  father:  Mv  father.  And  he 
answered:  What  wilt  thou,  son?  Behold 
saith  he,  fire  and  wood:  where  is  the  victim 
for  the  holocaust? 

And  Abraham  said:  God  will  provide  him¬ 
self  a  victim  for  an  holocaust,  my  son.  So 
they  went  on  together. 

And  they  came  to  the  place  which  God  had 
shewn  him,  where  he  built  an  altar,  and  laid 
the  wood  in  order  upon  it:  and  when  he  had 
bound  Isaac  his  son,  he  laid  him  on  the  altar 
upon  the  pile  of  wood. 

And  he  put  forth  his  hand  and  took  the 
sword,  to  sacrifice  his  son. 

And  behold  an  angel  of  the  Lord  from  heav¬ 
en  called  to  him  saying :  Abraham,  Abraham. 
And  he  answered :  Here  I  am. 

And  he  said  to  him :  Lay  not  thy  hand  upon 
the  boy,  neither  do  thou  anything  to  him: 
now  I  know  that  thou  fearest  God,  and  hast 
not  spared  thy  only  begotten  son  for  my 
sake. 


[  Page  195  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw  behind 
his  back  a  ram  amongst  the  briers  sticking 
fast  by  the  horns,  which  he  took  and  offered 
for  a  holocaust  instead  of  his  son.” 

(Genesis  22 :  2-13.) 


Now  you  tell  this  story  of  Abraham. 

What  do  you  think  about  Abraham’s  faith  in  God 
and  his  obedience4? 

After  Abraham  had  offered  the  ram  in  sacrifice  in¬ 
stead  of  Isaac,  God  showed  Abraham  how  much  had 
depended  upon  his  obedience. 

Because  Abraham  had  obeyed  God,  God  blessed  him 
in  every  way,  and  blessed  all  of  his  big  family. 

God  even  told  Abraham  that  because  he  had  obeyed 
Him,  the  promised  Redeemer  would  be  one  of  his 
race. 

[  Page  196  ] 


SACRIFICES  OF  THE  OLD  LAW 


What  difference  do  you  think  it  will  make  if  you 
refuse  to  do  something  which  you  know  God  wants 
you  to  do? 


Review  Questions 

Tell  what  you  know  about  the  sacrifices  of  The  Old 
Law. 

Tell  what  you  know  about  the  Feast  of  the  Passover. 
Say  the  ten  commandments  of  God. 

Say  the  six  commandments  of  Holy  Church. 


[  Page  197  1 


THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  NEW  LAW 


Lesson  XV. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  XV.,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers: 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 

VI.) 

The  Lord’s  Prayer 
The  Hail  Mary 
The  Apostles’  Creed 

How  did  Our  Heavenly  Father  want  the  chosen  peo¬ 
ple  to  worship  Him  according  to  The  Old  Law? 

Our  Heavenly  Father  wanted  the 
chosen  people  to  worship  Him  by  offer - 

ing  sacrifices . 

Name  some  of  the  gifts  from  the  fruits  of  the  earth 
that  were  offered  in  sacrifice  in  The  Old  Law. 

Bread ,  wine ,  oil,  salt,  etc. 

Name  some  of  the  animals  that  were  offered  in  sac¬ 
rifice  in  The  Old  Law. 

Oxen,  goats,  sheep,  little  pigeons,  etc. 


[  Page  198  ] 


SACRIFICE  OF  THE  NEW  LAW 


Tell  what  you  have  learned  about  the  Feast  of  the 
Passover.  (See  Lesson  XIV.) 

In  this  lesson  let  us  learn  how  the  sacrifices  of  The 
Old  Law  are  replaced  in  The  New  Law. 

While  Jesus  was  on  earth  He  celebrated  the  Feast  of 
the  Passover  every  year  according  to  the  custom  of 
the  chosen  people. 

And  during  the  last  year  that  Jesus  was  on  earth  He 
wanted  to  celebrate  the  Feast  of  the  Passover  with 
His  Apostles. 

So,  He  sent  Peter  and  John  to  prepare  for  the  Feast. 
Peter  and  John  followed  all  of  Jesus’  instructions, 
and  prepared  for  the  Feast  in  a  large  dining  room, 
called  The  Cenacle . 

In  the  Cenacle,  Jesus  told  His  Apostles  how  He  had 
been  looking  forward  to  celebrating  this  feast  with 
them. 

For  Jesus  knew  that  this  night  would  be  His  last 
one  on  earth,  and  that  He  was  going  to  leave  a 
pledge  of  His  great  undying  love. 

Jesus  knew  that  the  sacrifice  of  lambs  according  to 
The  Old  Law  was  about  to  be  ended. 

For  He  had  come  to  offer  and  to  teach  the  Great 
Sacrifice  of  The  New  Law. 

According  to  the  New  Law,  Jesus  Himself  was  go¬ 
ing  to  be  the  Lamb  to  be  slain  in  sacrifice  and  to  shed 
His  blood  for  the  sins  of  the  people. 


[  Page  199  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


And  Jesus  knew  that  He  was  going  to  offer  this 
bloody  Sacrifice  on  the  very  next  day  when  He  would 
be  nailed  to  a  Cross  and  would  die  a  most  cruel  death. 

About  seven  hundred  years  before  this,  a  holy  man  of 
God,  called  Isaias,  foretold  many  things  about  Jesus. 
Isaias  said: 

“He  was  offered  because  it  was  his  own 
will,  and  he  opened  not  his  mouth:  he  shall 
be  led  as  a  sheep  to  the  slaughter,  and  shall 
be  dumb  as  a  lamb  before  his  shearer,  and 
he  shall  not  open  his  mouth.7’ 

(Isaias  53:  7.) 

Let  us  memorize  what  Isaias  said  when  he  foretold 
how  Jesus  would  be  the  Lamb  of  God. 

Our  Heavenly  Father  willed  to  be  worshipped  by 
sacrifice  until  the  end  of  the  world. 

In  The  New  Law  there  would  be  but  one  bloody  sac¬ 
rifice. 

But  sacrifice  was  never  to  cease. 

So,  at  the  Last  Supper,  Jesus  taught  His  Apostles 
how  to  offer  the  unbloody  sacrifice  of  The  New  Law. 

This  is  what  Jesus  did : 

After  all  the  ceremonies  connected  with  the  Feast  of 

[  Page  200  J 


SACRIFICE  OF  THE  NEW  LAW 


the  Passover  were  ended,  Jesus  very  solemnly  took 
bread. 

He  blessed  it,  then  broke  it,  and  gave  it  to  His  Apos¬ 
tles,  saying: 

“Take  ye  and  eat.  This  is  my  body.” 

Then  Jesus  took  a  chalice,  or  cup,  in  which  there  was 
wine.  He  blessed  it. 

And  after  he  had  supped,  gave  to  His  Apostles  to 
drink,  saying: 

“Drink  ye  all  of  this.  For  this  is  my  blood 
of  the  new  testament,  which  shall  be  shed 
for  many,  unto  the  remission  of  sins.” 

(St.  Matthew  26:28.) 

After  these  solemn  words,  the  bread  and  wine  were 


no  longer  bread  and  wine. 


f  Page  201  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


For  Jesus,  by  His  Divine  power,  had  performed  a 

miracle. 

He  had  changed  the  bread  and  wine  into  His  very 
own  Body  and  Blood. 

Let  us  memorize  what  Jesus  said  when  He  took  the 
bread,  blessed  it,  broke  it,  and  gave  it  to  the  Apos¬ 
tles  to  eat. 

Let  us  memorize  what  Jesus  said  when  He  changed 
the  wine  into  His  own  Precious  Blood. 

When  Jesus  said  these  words,  what  great  miracle  took 
place4? 

After  Jesus  had  changed  the  bread  and  wine  into  His 
Body  and  Blood,  and  had  said  to  His  Apostles: 

“Take  ye,  and  eat.  This  is  my  body,” 

and 

“Drink  ye  all  of  this.  For  this  is  my  blood 
of  the  new  testament  which  shall  be  shed 
for  many  unto  the  remission  of  sins,” 

Jesus  said  to  His  Apostles  something  else  which  was 
very  important. 

He  said: 

“Do  this  for  a  commemoration  of  me.” 

(St.  Luke  22:  19;  1st  Cor.  11:24,  25.) 


[  Page  202  ] 


SACRIFICE  OF  THE  NEW  LAW 


By  these  solemn  words  Jesus  made  His  Apostles 
priests. 

For  He  gave  them  power  to  change  bread  and  wine 
into  His  Body  and  Blood,  and  He  commanded  them 
to  offer  up  His  Body  and  Blood  in  Sacrifice,  as  He 
Himself  had  just  done. 

For  Sacrifice  in  The  New  Law,  as  well  as  in  The  Old 
Law,  must  be  offered  by  a  priest . 

On  the  Cross  Jesus  was  our  great  Highpriest,  of¬ 
fering  His  own  Life  to  Our  Heavenly  Father,  as  a 
bloody  Sacrifice  to  take  away  the  sins  of  the  world. 

But  this  was  to  be  the  only  bloody  Sacrifice  of  the 
New  Law. 

For,  ever  since  the  time  when  Jesus  shed  His  Blood 
and  died  on  the  Cross  for  love  of  us,  Jesus  priests 
all  over  the  world  do  what  Jesus  commanded  them 
to  do  at  the  Last  Supper. 

That  is,  Jesus’  priests  represent  Him. 

And  every  day  they  offer  in  sacrifice  to  Our  Heavenly 
Father  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Jesus  under  the  ap¬ 
pearances  of  bread  and  wine. 

So  you  see  this  unbloody  Sacrifice  which  Jesus’  priests 
offer  to  Our  Heavenly  Father  in  The  New  Law  is  the 

[  Page  203  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


same  Sacrifice  which  Jesus  offered  to  Our  Heavenly 
Father  on  the  Cross. 

It  is  called  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 


Now  let  us  review  what  we  have  learned  thus  far 
about  the  Sacrifice  of  The  New  Law. 

Who  offered  the  first  Sacrifice  of  The  New  Law? 


Tell  what  took  place  in  the  Cenacle  at  the  Last  Sup¬ 
per. 

What  power  did  Jesus  give  His  priests  when  He  said: 
“Do  this  for  a  commemoration  of  Me?” 


When  did  Jesus  offer  the  bloody  Sacrifice  of  The  New 
Law? 

Why  do  we  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lamb  of  God? 

[  Page  204  ] 


SACRIFICE  OF  THE  NEW  LAW 


What  do  we  call  the  Sacrifice  of  The  New  Law4? 

In  the  Holy  Mass,  what  Victim  or  Lamb  is  offered 
in  Sacrifice4? 

Who  is  the  great  Highpriest  offering  the  Sacrifice4? 

Who  represents  Jesus  in  offering  the  Holy  Sacrifice 
of  the  Mass4? 

Find  in  your  Catechism  the  chapter  on  The  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 

Memorize  the  answers. 

THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  NEW  LAW 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 

The  chief  and  central  part  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of 
the  Mass  is  the  part  where  Jesus7  priest  changes  bread 
and  wine  into  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Jesus. 

And  this  part  of  The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is 
called  The  Consecration . 

The  Consecration  takes  place  in  about  the  middle  of 
the  Mass. 

And  special  prayers  are  said  by  the  priest  and  the  peo¬ 
ple  before  The  Consecration . 


[  Page  205  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


These  prayers  are  said  to  prepare  the  minds  and  the 
hearts  of  both  priest  and  people  for  the  great  Sacri¬ 
fice  about  to  be  offered. 

In  these  beginning  prayers  both  priest  and  people  con¬ 
fess  that  they  are  sinners  and  are  unworthy  to  offer 
The  Holy  Sacrifice. 

And  they  pray  to  Our  Heavenly  Father  to  accept  and 
bless  the  offering  of  bread  and  wine  about  to  be  con¬ 
secrated. 

During  The  Consecration  the  priest  uses  the  Divine 
power  Jesus  gave  him. 

He  says  the  very  same  words  that  Jesus  said  at  the 
Last  Supper. 

And  then  Jesus  is  really  and  truly  present  on  the  al¬ 
tar  under  the  appearance  of  bread  and  wine. 

Of  course,  this  is  the  very  solemn  part  of  the  Holy 
Sacrifice. 

And  at  this  time  we  ought  to  make  Acts  of  Faith, 
Adoration  and  Love. 

We  ought  to  pray  for  grace  for  ourselves  and  for 
others. 

We  should  also  pray  for  the  dead. 


Now,  you  tell  what  we  call  the  principal  part  of  The 
Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 

[  Page  206  ] 


SACRIFICE  OF  THE  NEW  LAW 

Why  are  special  prayers  said  by  the  priest  and  the 
people  before  The  Consecration? 

Tell  what  takes  place  at  The  Consecration. 

What  are  the  words  used  by  the  priest  when  he 
changes  the  bread  and  wine  into  the  Body  and  Blood 
of  Jesus? 

After  The  Consecration  when  Jesus  is  really  and  truly 
present,  how  would  you  tell  Him  that  you  believe 
in  Him,  adore  Him  and  love  Him? 

At  this  time,  for  whom  should  we  pray? 

During  the  last  part  of  The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass,  the  priest  says  twice: 

“Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away  the  sins 
of  the  world,  have  mercy  on  us.” 

The  third  time,  the  priest  says : 

“Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away  the  sins 
of  the  world,  grant  us  peace.” 

Because  this  prayer  begins  “Lamb  of  God”  we  call  it 
by  the  Latin  words  for  Lamb  of  God ,  that  is  Agnus 
Dei.” 

Let  us  memorize  the  “Agnus  Dei”  so  that  you  can 
say  it  when  you  hear  the  priest  say  it. 


[  Page  207  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


After  the  Agnus  Dei,  the  priest  and  the  people  pre¬ 
pare  to  partake  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Jesus. 

This  is  called  The  Communion. 

The  prayer  which  the  priest  and  the  people  say  before 
partaking  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Jesus,  is: 

“Lord,  I  am  not  worthy  that  thou  shouldst 
enter  under  my  roof ;  but  say  only  the  word 
and  my  soul  shall  be  healed.” 

This  prayer  is  called  Domine  non  sum  dignus. 

The  priest  says  this  prayer  three  times  before  he 
receives  Holy  Communion. 

And  the  bell  is  rung  each  time  the  priest  says  the 
“Domine  non  sum  dignusT 

Let  us  memorize  the  “Domine  non  sum  dignusT 
The  people  who  are  prepared  to  partake  of  the  Body 
and  Blood  of  Jesus  go  to  the  altar-rail  at  this  time 
to  receive  Holy  Communion. 

After  Holy  Communion,  prayers  of  thanksgiving  are 
said. 

And  near  the  end  of  The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass 
the  people  kneel  to  receive  God’s  blessing  which  the 
priest  solemnly  gives  them. 

Now,  let  us  see  if  you  can  answer  some  questions 
about  the  last  part  of  The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 

I  Page  208  ] 


SACRIFICE  OF  THE  NEW  LAW 


What  do  we  call  partaking  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of 
Jesus'? 

After  the  priest  and  the  people  have  received  Holy 
Communion,  what  kind  of  prayers  should  be  said'? 

Near  the  end  of  The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass, 
whose  blessing  is  given? 

There  is  a  book  called  The  Missal  in  which  are  all  the 
prayers  said  by  the  priest  during  The  Holy  Sacrifice 
of  the  Mass. 

Every  grown-up  person  should  have  a  Missal  to  fol¬ 
low  the  Mass  exactly. 

But  while  you  are  little  you  can  use  children’s  Mass 
Books,  with  pictures,  to  help  you  follow  what  is 
taking  place  in  The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 


Review  Questions 

Tell  what  took  place  at  The  Last  Supper. 

What  is  The  Sacrifice  of  The  New  Law'? 

What  bloody  Sacrifice  was  the  same  as  The  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass'? 

What  do  we  call  the  principal  part  of  The  Holy  Sac¬ 
rifice  of  the  Mass? 

What  takes  place  at  The  Consecration? 

[  Page  209  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  THE  HOLY 

EUCHARIST 


Lesson  XVI. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  XVI.,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross,  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers: 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 

VI.) 

The  Lord’s  Prayer 
The  Hail  Mary 
The  Apostles’  Creed 


In  the  last  lesson  you  learned  about  the  great  Sacri¬ 
fice  of  The  New  Law. 

In  the  great  Sacrifice  of  The  New  Law,  Who  offered 
Himself  as  a  Lamb  to  die  for  the  sins  of  the  world6? 

Jesus  offered  Himself  as  a  Lamb  to  die 
for  the  sins  of  the  world. 

How  often  did  Jesus  shed  His  blood  on  the  Cross6? 

Jesus  shed  His  Blood  on  the  Cross  only 

once. 


[  Page  210  ] 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST 


When  did  Jesus  offer  this  same  Sacrifice  without  the 
shedding  of  His  Blood? 

At  the  Last  Supper  Jesus  offered  this 
same  Sacrifice  without  the  shedding  of 

His  Blood. 

Where  did  Jesus  celebrate  the  first  Mass,  and  where 
did  He  ordain  the  first  priests  of  His  Church? 

Jesus  celebrated  the  first  Mass  and  or¬ 
dained  the  first  priests  in  the  Cenacle. 

At  the  altar,  who  now  represents  Jesus  the  High- 
priest  in  offering  the  same  Sacrifice  that  was  offered 
at  the  Last  Supper? 

Jesus’  priest  represents  Him  at  the 

altar. 

What  do  we  call  partaking  of  the  Body  and  Blood 
of  Jesus  under  the  appearances  of  bread  and  wine? 

We  call  this  “ receiving  Holy  Com¬ 
munion.” 

What  is  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass? 

The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  the 
Sacrifice  in  which  Jesus  offers  Himself, 
under  the  appearances  of  bread  and 
wine,  as  The  Lamb  slain  for  the  sins  of 

the  world, 

or, 

The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  the 
unbloody  Sacrifice  of  The  New  Law. 

[  Page  211] 


V 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 

Another  way  of  speaking  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass  is  “the  Sacrifice  of  the  Holy  Eucharist.” 

In  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  the  priest 
consecrates  first  the  bread  and  then  the  wine  to  show 
that  Jesus'  Blood  was  separated  from  His  Body  when 
He  was  slain  as  a  Lamb. 

Now  you  know  about  the  Holy  Eucharist  as  a  Sac- 

ri  fice. 

In  this  lesson  let  us  learn  about  the  Holy  Eucharist 
as  another  stream  of  grace  coming  to  us  from  Jesus’ 
Church, — the  Fountain  of  grace. 

For  the  Holy  Eucharist  is  a  Sacrament  as  well  as  a 

Sacrifice . 

In  this  most  holy  Sacrament  Jesus  Himself  comes  into 
our  souls. 

So  every  time  we  receive  Jesus  lovingly  in  the  Sac¬ 
rament  of  the  Holy  Eucharist,  we  receive  more  and 
more  grace. 

And  when  Jesus  feeds  our  souls  with  His  grace,  He  is 
feeding  them  with  His  Divine  Life. 

For  just  as  we  need  food  every  day  to  keep  our  bodies 
alive,  so  we  need  food  to  keep  our  souls  alive  with 
Divine  Life. 


[  Page  212  ] 


bUl  UN  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 
CHESTNUT  HILL,  MASS. 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST 

In  The  Lord’s  Prayer,  when  we  say  “Give  us  this 
day  our  daily  bread,”  we  mean  daily  food  for  our 
souls  as  well  as  for  our  bodies. 

About  a  year  before  Jesus  offered  Himself  in  sacri¬ 
fice  as  the  Lamb  on  the  Cross,  He  was  preparing  the 
people  for  the  Sacrament  of  the  Holy  Eucharist. 

So  He  performed  a  great  miracle. 

Let  us  read  about  this  miracle  just  as  it  is  told  in  the 
Bible  by  St.  John: 

Jesus  therefore  went  up  into  a  mountain, 
and  there  he  sat  with  his  disciples. 

Now  the  pasch,  the  festival  day  of  the  Jews, 
was  near  at  hand. 

When  Jesus  therefore  had  lifted  up  his  eyes, 
and  seen  that  a  very  great  multitude  cometh 
to  him,  he  said  to  Philip:  Whence  shall  we 
buy  bread,  that  these  may  eat? 

And  this  he  said  to  try  him;  for  he  himself 
knew  what  he  would  do. 

Philip  answered  him:  two  hundred  penny¬ 
worth  of  bread  is  not  sufficient  for  them, 
that  every  one  may  take  a  little. 

One  of  his  disciples,  Andrew,  the  brother 
of  Simon  Peter,  saith  to  him: 

There  is  a  boy  here  that  hath  five  barley 
loaves,  and  two  fishes;  but  what  are  these 
among  so  many? 

Then  Jesus  said:  Make  the  men  sit  down. 

Now  there  was  much  grass  in  the  place.  The 
men  therefore  sat  down,  in  number  about 
five  thousand. 


[  Page  213  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


And  Jesus  took  the  loaves :  and  when  he  had 
given  thanks,  he  distributed  to  them  that 
were  set  down. 

In  like  manner  also  of  the  fishes,  as  much 
as  they  would. 

And  when  they  were  filled,  he  said  to  his 
disciples:  Gather  up  the  fragments  that  re¬ 
main,  lest  they  be  lost. 

They  gathered  up  therefore,  and  filled 
twelve  baskets  with  the  fragments  of  the 
five  barley  loaves,  which  remained  over  and 
above  to  them  that  had  eaten." 

(St.  John  6:  3-13.) 


How  many  had  followed  Jesus  to  the  mountain  this 
day? 

How  did  Jesus  feed  them? 


When  the  people  saw  this  miracle  which  Jesus  had 
performed,  what  were  they  forced  to  believe  about 
the  power  of  Jesus? 

[  Page  214  ] 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST 


The  next  day  after  Jesus  had  fed  the  multitude  with 
five  barley  loaves  and  two  fishes,  the  same  people 
crossed  the  lake  in  boats,  seeking  Jesus  until  they 
found  Him. 

Jesus  said  to  them: 

“Labour  not  for  the  meat  which  perisheth, 
but  for  that  which  endureth  unto  life  ever¬ 
lasting,  which  the  Son  of  man  will  give 
you.”  (St.  John  6:27.) 

Let  us  memorize  these  words  of  Jesus. 

Then  during  this  important  talk  Jesus  also  said: 

“I  am  the  living  bread  which  came  down 
from  heaven  .  .  .  the  bread  that  I  will  give, 
is  my  flesh,  for  the  life  of  the  world  .  .  . 
Amen,  amen  I  say  unto  you :  Except  you  eat 
the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  drink  his 
blood,  you  shall  not  have  life  in  you.” 

(St.  John  6:51,  52,  54.) 

Who  did  Jesus  say  is  the  “living  bread”4? 

What  did  Jesus  say  about  the  bread  that  He  would 
give? 

What  did  Jesus  say  would  happen  to  those  who  do 
not  partake  of  His  Body  and  Blood, — that  is,  the 
Holy  Eucharist? 

Let  us  memorize  what  Jesus  said  about  the  Holy 
Eucharist. 


[  Page  215  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Jesus  also  taught  the  people  something  else  about 
the  Holy  Eucharist. 

He  promised  that  all  those  who  faithfully  partook  of 
the  Holy  Eucharist  here  on  earth  would  share  His 
Divine  Life  forever  in  heaven. 

This  is  what  Jesus  said  when  He  made  this  promise : 

“He  that  eateth  my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my 
blood,  hath  everlasting  life:  and  I  will  raise 
him  up  in  the  last  day.” 

(St.  John  6:55.) 

Let  us  memorize  these  words  of  Jesus  also. 

THE  SACRAMENT  OF  THE  HOLY 

EUCHARIST 

Second  Division 

Just  as  there  is  a  sign  by  which  we  know  that  we 
are  receiving  the  first  stream  of  grace, — that  is,  Bap¬ 
tism, — so  there  is  a  sign  by  which  we  know  that  we 
are  receiving  the  stream  of  grace  called  the  Holy 
Eucharist. 

What  is  the  sign  by  which  we  know  that  we  are  be¬ 
ing  baptized? 

The  sign  is  the  pouring  of  water  upon 
the  head  of  the  person  to  be  baptized 
while  saying  the  words:  “I  baptize  thee 
in  the  name  of  the  Father ,  and  of  the 
Son ,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ” 


[  Page  216  ] 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST 


The  sign  by  which  we  know  that  we  are  receiving  the 
Holy  Eucharist  is  made  up  of  the  bread  and  wine 
which  the  priest  changes  into  the  Body  and  Blood  of 
Jesus,  and  the  words  of  consecration  which  the  priest 
says: 

When  the  priest  consecrates  the  bread  he  says : 

“For  this  is  my  Body.” 

When  the  priest  consecrates  the  wine,  he  says  : 

“For  this  is  the  Chalice  of  my  Blood,  of 
the  new  and  eternal  testament,  the  mys¬ 
tery  of  faith,  which  for  you  and  for  many 
shall  be  shed,  unto  the  remission  of  sins.” 

(From  the  Roman  Missal.) 

Let  us  memorize  these  words  of  Consecration. 


Summary 

Now  let  us  review  what  we  have  learned  about  the 
Sacrament  of  Holy  Eucharist. 

Tell  how  Jesus  fed  the  multitude  with  five  barley 
loaves  and  two  fishes. 

V 

Say  the  quotation  which  begins,  “I  am  the  living 
bread.” 


[ Page  217  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Besides  being  a  Sacrifice,  what  else  is  the  Holy  Eu¬ 
charist? 

When  we  receive  the  Sacrament  of  Holy  Eucharist, 
Who  comes  into  our  souls? 

With  what  kind  of  life  does  Jesus  feed  our  souls? 

When  anyone  receives  the  Sacrament  of  Holy  Eu¬ 
charist  faithfully  and  lovingly  during  his  life  on 
earth,  what  life  will  he  share  forever? 

Say  the  words  of  Consecration. 

At  what  time  during  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass 
do  the  bread  and  wine  become  the  Body  and  Blood 
of  Jesus? 

Find  in  your  Catechism  the  lesson  on  the  Holy  Eu¬ 
charist. 

Memorize  the  answers. 


How  often  do  you  think  God’s  loving  children  should 
want  to  receive  the  Holy  Eucharist?  Why? 


[  Page  218  ] 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST 


Ever  since  the  time  of  the  Last  Supper  men  and  wom¬ 
en,  and  even  little  children,  have  tried  to  give  Jesus 
all  of  their  love,  in  return  for  His  great  undying  love 
in  giving  Himself  to  us  in  the  Holy  Eucharist. 


They  think  of  Him  while  they  are  at  their  work,  they 
spend  time  in  the  Church  adoring  Him,  they  receive 
Him  in  Holy  Communion  as  often  as  they  can,  and 
many  have  even  given  their  lives  to  prove  their  love 
for  Jesus  in  the  Holy  Eucharist. 


Let  me  tell  you  a  story  about  a  little,  boy  whose  heart 
was  filled  with  the  love  of  Jesus. 

His  name  was  Tarcisius. 

Tarcisius  lived  in  the  city  of  Rome,  in  the  very  early 
days  of  Jesus’  Church. 

Rome  was  then  filled  with  pagans — men  who  did  not 
believe  in  Jesus  and  His  Church. 

The  Emperor  of  Rome  was  a  pagan,  and  he  hated 
all  who  belonged  to  Jesus’  Church. 

So  he  gave  orders  to  have  them  emprisoned,  tortured, 
and  even  put  to  death. 

What  strengthened  the  prisoners  and  made  their 
hearts  full  of  joy  in  the  midst  of  all  their  cruel  suf¬ 
ferings  was  the  thought  that  Jesus  was  coming  to 
them  in  Holy  Communion. 

A  priest  carrying  the  Holy  Eucharist  to  the  prisons 
would  easily  be  discovered,  and  would  never  reach 
the  prisoners. 


[Page  219] 


THE  S  P  I  R  I  T  U  A  L  WAY 

So  sometimes  young  boys  were  entrusted  with  carry¬ 
ing  the  Holy  Eucharist  concealed  in  their  clothes. 
One  day  Tarcisius  begged  very  hard  to  be  allowed 
to  carry  the  Holy  Eucharist  to  the  prisoners. 
Although  Tarcisius  was  very  young,  it  was  finally 
agreed  that  he  might  go  on  this  sacred  errand. 

How  happy  Tarcisius  was  as  he  started  forth,  think¬ 
ing  only  of  what  lay  hidden  in  his  tunic! 

As  he  passed  down  the  crowded  Roman  streets,  a 
group  of  rough  pagan  boys  stopped  him,  and  de¬ 
manded  that  he  tell  them  where  he  was  going,  and 
show  them  what  he  was  trying  to  hide  so  carefully. 
Tarcisius  continued  on  his  way  to  the  prison  without 
answering  them. 

But  the  rough  pagan  boys  followed  after  him. 

Some  pelted  him  with  stones,  others  kicked  him  and 
struck  him. 

And  at  last  Tarcisius  fell  to  the  ground,  still  holding 
his  hand  tightly  clasped  on  his  breast. 

The  ruffians  fell  upon  him,  and  searched  his  gar¬ 
ments,  but  found  nothing. 

Then,  like  cowards,  they  ran  away,  leaving  him  dy¬ 
ing  by  the  roadside. 

But  soon  some  of  Tarcisius’  friends  passed  by. 

They  quickly  went  to  help  him,  and  were  very  much 
surprised  to  see  what  was  lying  on  his  breast. 

Eor  Tarcisius  had  given  his  life,  but  he  had  saved  the 
Holy  Eucharist. 

Why  should  everyone  admire  Tarcisius? 

[  Page  220  ] 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST 


Our  Heavenly  Father  probably  will  not  ask  any  one 
of  you  to  sacrifice  your  life  to  save  the  Holy  Eu¬ 
charist. 

But  if  you  really  love  Jesus,  you  will  find  your 
greatest  happiness  in  receiving  Him  in  Holy  Com¬ 
munion,  and  in  adoring  Him  in  the  Holy  Eucharist. 
And  when  you  grow  up,  some  of  you  may  even  love 
Jesus  so  much  as  not  to  be  satisfied  merely  with  vis¬ 
iting  Him  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 

These  chosen  ones  will  even  want  to  consecrate  their 
whole  lives  to  adoring  and  serving  Jesus  in  the  Holy 
Eucharist. 


Review  Questions 

Why  did  Jesus  give  us  the  Sacrament  of  the  Holy 
Eucharist? 


[  Page  221  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Tell  what  the  priest  says  during  the  Holy  Sacrifice 
of  the  Mass  when  he  changes  the  bread  and  wine 
into  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Jesus. 

Tell  how  Jesus  prepared  the  people  for  the  Holy  Eu¬ 
charist  long  before  the  Last  Supper, 

When  Jesus  said  to  St.  Peter,  “Feed  my  lambs,”  and 
“Feed  my  sheep,”  of  what  food  was  Jesus  speaking? 


[  Page  222  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


Lesson  XVII. 

•  r  i 

Before  beginning  Lesson  XVII.,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross,  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers: 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 
VI.) 

The  Lord’s  Prayer 
The  Hail  Mary 
The  Apostles’  Creed 

You  remember  that  in  one  of  our  lessons  we  learned 
about  a  certain  fountain. 

But  this  Fountain,  instead  of  sending  forth  streams 
of  water,  sends  forth  seven  streams  of  grace. 

What  is  the  Fountain  which  sends  forth  seven  streams 
of  graced 

The  Church  is  the  Fountain  which 
sends  forth  seven  streams  of  grace. 

Who  is  the  hidden  Source  of  grace? 

Jesus  is  the  hidden  Source  of  grace. 

.n 

What  do  we  call  the  seven  streams  of  grace? 

The  seven  streams  of  grace  are  called 
the  seven  sacraments. 

[  Page  223  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


What  is  the  first  Sacrament  which  we  receive? 

Baptism  is  the  first  Sacrament  which 

we  receive. 

In  which  Sacrament  does  Jesus  Himself  come  into 
our  souls  to  feed  us  with  His  Divine  Life? 

In  the  Sacrament  of  the  Holy  Eucharist 
Jesus  comes  into  our  souls  to  feed  us 
with  His  D  ivine  Life . 


In  this  lesson  let  us  learn  about  the  stream  of  grace 
which  takes  away  our  mortal  and  venial  sins. 

When  Jesus  was  on  earth  He  did  many  things  that 
only  God  could  do. 

You  know  that  He  cured  the  sick  instantly,  and 
raised  the  dead  to  life. 

But  Jesus  did  something  even  more  important  than 
curing  the  sick  and  raising  the  dead  to  life. 

For  Jesus  forgave  the  sms  of  many  people  when  they 
came  to  Him  and  said  that  they  were  sorry. 

Let  me  tell  you  about  two  great  sinners  who  were 
sorry  for  their  sins,  and  whose  sins  were  forgiven 
by  Jesus. 

The  first  story  is  about  the  Apostle  Peter. 


[  Page  224  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


What  have  you  already  learned  about  Peter4? 

/  have  learned  that  Jesus  made  Peter 
His  representative  on  earth ,  the  Head 

of  His  Church. 

You  will  be  surprised  to  hear  that  Peter  committed 
a  serious  sin. 

He  committed  this  sin  soon  after  the  Last  Supper,  on 
the  very  night  before  Jesus  died. 

When  Jesus  was  being  dragged  to  the  highpriest’s 
house  to  be  tried,  Peter  did  indeed  follow  his  Master, 
but  at  a  distance. 

Peter  remained  in  the  hall,  near  the  fireplace. 

While  he  was  there,  a  certain  maidservant  of  the 
house  seeing  him,  declared  that  Peter  was  one  of  the 
followers  of  Jesus. 

But  Peter  denied  that  he  even  knew  Jesus. 

Peter  declared  three  times  that  he  did  not  know  Jesus. 
Just  then,  Jesus  passed  by,  and  turning,  looked  sadly 
but  kindly  at  Peter. 

Then  Peter,  realizing  what  a  dreadful  sin  he  had  com¬ 
mitted,  went  out  of  the  house,  weeping  bitterly.  (St. 
Luke  22:54-62.) 

Jesus  forgave  Peter’s  sin. 

But  all  the  rest  of  Peter’s  life  he  was  sorrv  for  this 

* 

sin,  and  he  tried  to  prove  his  sorrow  by  living  and 
dying  for  Jesus. 


[  Page  225  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


You  know  that  later  on  Peter  became  Jesus’  repre¬ 
sentative  as  Good  Shepherd. 

And  he  was  always  kind  and  gentle  to  all  sinners  who 
were  truly  sorry  for  their  sins. 

Why  do  you  think  that  St.  Peter  was  always  so  very 
kind  and  gentle  to  all  sinners'? 

The  next  story  is  about  a  very  beautiful  woman  who 
was  a  great  sinner. 

Everyone  despised  her,  and  looked  scornfully  at  her 
whenever  she  passed  by. 

And  she  was  very  unhappy. 

One  day  she  joined  a  crowd  of  people  who  seemed 
to  be  spellbound,  listening  to  some  great  preacher. 
She  listened,  too. 

And  as  she  listened,  tears  began  to  fall  down  her 
cheeks. 

Never  before  had  she  met  anyone  so  holy,  so  good, 
and  so  kind. 

For  it  was  no  other  than  Jesus  who  was  speaking. 

She  began  to  be  ashamed  and  sorry  for  all  her  sins. 
And  from  that  day  on,  she  followed  Jesus  wherever 
He  went,  listening  to  His  teachings,  learning  to  love 
Him,  and  becoming  more  and  more  sorry  for  her  sins. 

One  day  she  slipped  in,  all  unnoticed,  to  the  house 
of  Simon  the  Pharisee,  where  Jesus  was  having  din¬ 
ner. 


[  Page  226  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


She  seemed  to  be  drawn  to  Jesus’  side,  not  caring 
what  the  guests  thought  of  her. 

And  when  she  was  quite  close  to  Jesus,  she  knelt 
down,  and  began  to  weep  silently. 

The  Bible  tells  us  that  she  even  washed  the  feet  of 
Jesus  with  her  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  her  beau¬ 
tiful  hair. 


Unlike  the  others,  Jesus  was  most  kind  and  gentle 
to  Mary  Magdalen. 

For  this  was  the  name  of  the  beautiful  woman  who 
was  now  weeping  for  her  sins. 

Jesus  said  to  all  those  present: 


“Many  sins  are  forgiven  her,  because  she  hath 
loved  much.” 

Then,  turning  to  Mary  Magdalen,  He  said: 


[  Page  227  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


“Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee.” 

(St.  Luke  7:37-48.) 

Mary  Magdalen  spent  all  the  rest  of  her  life  loving 
and  serving  Jesus. 

Like  Peter,  Mary  Magdalen  became  a  great  saint. 

Why  would  you  like  all  great  sinners  to  know  about 
the  kindness  of  Jesus  to  Mary  Magdalen? 

Jesus  wanted  the  priests  of  His  Church  to  continue 
what  He  had  begun. 

That  is,  Jesus  wanted  His  priests  to  represent  Him  in 
being  kind  to  sinners,  and  in  forgiving  them  their 
sins  when  they  were  really  sorry. 

You  will  remember  that  when  Jesus  made  Peter  the 
Head  of  His  Church,  He  said  something  about  the 
Keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

What  did  Jesus  say? 

Jesus  said:  “And  I  will  give  to  thee  the 
keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven .  And 
whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  upon  earth , 
it  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven:  and 
whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth ,  it 
shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven  ”  (St. 

Matthew  16: 19.) 

What  do  people  do  with  keys? 

They  lock  and  unlock  doors. 


I  Page  228  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


When  anyone  is  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin,  does  he 
still  belong  in  heaven,  or  is  heaven  closed  to  him? 

Heaven  is  closed  to  him. 

So,  you  see,  the  power  which  Jesus  gave  to  Peter  to 
forgive  sins  is  like  a  key  which  is  able  to  open  heaven 
to  sinners  who  are  sorry  for  their  sins. 

Now  let  me  tell  you  about  the  day  when  Jesus  gave 
all  of  His  priests  the  power  to  forgive  sins. 

i 

On  the  very  day  that  Jesus  rose  from  the  dead,  He 
appeared  to  His  Apostles. 

On  this  first  Easter  Sunday,  toward  evening,  most  of 
the  Apostles  had  gathered  together  in  the  Cenacle  to 
console  one  another,  for  they  were  afraid  of  the  Jews, 
as  their  faith  in  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  was  still 
weak.1 

Suddenly  Jesus  stood  in  their  midst. 

He  had  come  to  them  through  closed  doors. 

He  had  come  to  comfort  them,  and  to  give  them  the 
power  to  forgive  sins . 

This  is  what  Jesus  did  when  He  gave  them  the  power 
to  forgive  sins. 

1“The  disciples  were  assembled  in  a  place  indicated  by  St.  John  vaguely  (St.  John 
20:  26).  Yet  this  could  be  nowhere  else  but  the  Supper  Room,  for  in  the  Acts  we 
find  that  that  upper  chamber,  hallowed  by  memories  of  the  Last  Supper,  had  become 
their  customary  place  of  meeting”  (Acts  1:  13;  2:  1). — From  “The  Christ,  The  Son 
of  God,”  by  the  Abbe  Constant  Fonard. 


[  Page  229  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


He  breathed  on  them,  and  said: 

“Receive  ye  the  holy  Ghost.  Whose  sins 
you  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them; 
and  whose  sins  you  shall  retain,  they  are  re¬ 
tained.”  (St.  John  20:22,  23.) 

By  these  words  Jesus  had  given  to  His  Church  a 
stream  of  grace ,  to  take  away  the  mortal  and  venial 
sins  of  the  people . 

This  stream  of  grace  is  called  The  Sacrament  of 
Penance . 

Now  tell  what  is  meant  by  The  Sacrament  of  Pen¬ 
ance. 

Let  us  memorize  what  Jesus  said  when  He  gave  the 
Sacrament  of  Penance  to  His  Church. 


From  that  day  to  this,  the  priests  of  Jesus’  Church 
represent  Jesus  in  forgiving  sins. 


[ Page  230  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


And  when  anyone  is  sorry  for  his  sins,  and  tells  them 
to  one  of  the  priests  of  Jesus’  Church,  the  priest  will 
act  for  Jesus,  and  will  do  as  Jesus  would  do  if  He 
were  here  on  this  earth. 


What  do  you  think  Jesus’  priest  will  do? 

The  Sacrament  of  Penance  takes  away  our  sins  for¬ 
ever. 


When  our  sins  are  taken  away,  are  our  souls  still 
darkened,  or  do  they  become  clean  and  bright? 

Our  souls  become  clean  and  bright . 

Everyone’s  soul  must  be  clean  and  bright  before  he 
is  ready  to  receive  Jesus  in  Holy  Communion. 

So,  when  anyone’s  soul  is  darkened  by  sin,  what  must 
he  do  before  he  is  ready  to  receive  Jesus  in  Holy 
Communion? 

He  must  receive  the  Sacrament  of  Pen¬ 
ance  before  he  is  ready  to  receive  Jesus 
in  Holy  Communion . 

In  the  next  lesson  you  will  learn  exactly  what  you 
must  do  to  receive  the  Sacrament  of  Penance. 

[  Page  231  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 

(  Continued) 

Second  Division 

i  » 

Summary 

Now  let  us  review  what  we  have  learned  about  the 
Sacrament  of  Penance. 

Tell  about  Jesus’  great  kindness  to  Peter  or  to  Mary 
Magdalen. 

Tell  what  happened  when  Jesus  appeared  to  His 
Apostles  in  the  Cenacle  in  the  late  afternoon  of  the 
first  Easter  Day. 

What  stream  of  grace  did  Jesus  give  us  to  make  our 
souls  clean  and  bright  if  they  have  become  darkened 
by  our  sins4? 

When  anyone’s  soul  is  darkened  by  sin,  what  must 
he  do  before  he  is  ready  to  receive  Jesus  in  Holy 
Communion4? 


There  is  a  prayer  in  the  Catechism  which  we  should 
learn  when  we  are  getting  ready  to  receive  the  Sacra¬ 
ment  of  Penance. 

Anyone  who  is  really  sorry  for  his  sins  should  be  will¬ 
ing  to  tell  them,  or  confess  them. 

[ Page  232  ] 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


This  prayer  is  called  The  Confiteor,  which  means  “I 
confess.”  The  prayer  begins: 

“I  confess  to  Almighty  God,  to  blessed 
Mary,  ever  Virgin,  to  blessed  Michael  the 
Archangel,  to  blessed  John  the  Baptist,  to 
the  Holy  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  and  to 
all  the  Saints,  that  I  have  sinned  exceed¬ 
ingly  in  thought,  word  and  deed.” 

Let  us  learn  this  much  of  The  Confiteor. 


When  we  are  really  sorry  for  our  sins,  besides  being 
willing  to  tell  them,  we  are  also  willing  to  say  that 
we  are  at  fault.  So,  the  next  part  of  the  prayer  is : 

“Through  my  fault,  through  my  fault, 
through  my  most  grievous  fault.” 

Now  say  The  Confiteor  from  the  beginning. 


The  next  part  of  The  Confiteor  is  like  the  beginning 
of  it,  except  that  in  this  part  of  The  Confiteor  we  ask 
our  blessed  Mother  and  the  other  saints  to  pray  for 
us. 

i 

We  say: 

“Therefore  I  beseech  blessed  Mary,  ever 
Virgin,  blessed  Michael  the  Archangel, 

[  Page  233  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


blessed  John  the  Baptist,  the  Holy  Apostles 
Peter  and  Paul,  and  (all  the  Saints,  to  pray 
to  the  Lord  our  God  for  me/’ 

Let  us  learn  this  part  of  The  Confiteor. 

Say  The  Confiteor  from  the  beginning. 

In  the  last  part  of  The  Confiteor  we  ask  Almighty 

God  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  lead  us  to  heaven. 

We  say: 

“May  the  Almighty  God  have  mercy  on  me, 
and  forgive  me  my  sins,  and  bring  me  to 
everlasting  life.  Amen.  May  the  Almighty 
and  merciful  Lord  grant  me  pardon,  absolu¬ 
tion,  and  remission  of  all  my  sins.  Amen.” 

Let  us  learn  this  part  of  The  Confiteor. 

Now  say  The  Confiteor  from  the  beginning. 

Review  Questions 

What  is  the  Sacrament  of  Penance? 

What  did  Jesus  say  when  He  gave  His  Apostles  the 

power  to  forgive  sins? 

Say  the  Confiteor. 

[  Page  234  ] 


THE  SACRAMENTS  OF  CONFIRMATION, 
EXTREME  UNCTION,  HOLY  ORDERS 

AND  MATRIMONY 

Lesson  XVIII. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  XVIII.,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross,  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers : 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 

VI.) 

The  Lord’s  Prayer. 

The  Hail  Mary. 

The  Apostles’  Creed. 

You  have  learned  about  some  of  the  Sacraments  which 
we  receive  through  Jesus’  Church. 

Let  us  review  what  you  have  learned  about  these 

Sacraments. 

What  does  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  do  for  us? 

The  Sacrament  of  Baptism  takes  away 
original  sin,  gives  us  grace,  and  makes 
us  children  of  God,  so  that  we  belong 
with  Him  in  heaven. 

What  does  the  Sacrament  of  Holy  Eucharist  do  for 
us? 

The  Sacrament  of  Holy  Eucharist  feeds 
our  souls  with  Divine  Life. 


[ Page  235  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


What  does  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  do  for  us? 

The  Sacrament  of  Penance  takes  away 
our  mortal  and  venial  sins . 

Before  you  learn  just  what  you  must  do  to  have  your 
mortal  and  venial  sins  taken  away  by  the  Sacrament 
of  Penance,  let  us  learn  something  about  the  other 
streams  of  grace,  or  Sacraments. 

And  first,  let  us  think  about  the  stream  of  grace,  or 
Sacrament,  which  you  will  probably  receive  soon  af¬ 
ter  Jesus  comes  into  your  soul  in  Holy  Communion. 

This  is  The  Sacrament  of  Confirmation ,  or,  as  we  some¬ 
times  say,  The  Sacrament  of  the  Holy  Ghost . 

For,  when  you  receive  this  Sacrament,  the  Holy 
Ghost  will  come  into  your  soul  to  give  you  of  the  ful¬ 
ness  of  Divine  grace. 

This  Sacrament  will  make  you  a  brave  follower  of 
Jesus,  ready  and  glad  to  die  for  the  Faith,  if  necessary. 

Usually  the  priest  baptizes  us,  forgives  our  sins,  and 
gives  us  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Jesus. 

But  it  is  the  Bishop  who  confirms  us. 

Like  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism,  we  can  receive  the 
Sacrament  of  Confirmation  only  once,  because  these 
Sacraments  leave  an  indelible  mark  upon  the  soul. 

Holy  Church  teaches  us  that  it  is  a  sin  to  neglect 
the  Sacrament  of  Confirmation. 


[  Page  236  ] 


THE  SACRAMENTS 


When  you  are  preparing  to  receive  the  Sacrament  ot 
Confirmation,  there  will  be  many  special  lessons  to 
teach  you  about  the  great  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  just  how  you  are  to  prepare  to  receive  Confirma¬ 
tion. 

But  now  you  need  only  remember  that  Confirmation 
is  the  stream  of  grace,  or  Sacrament,  which  gives  us 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  make  us  strong  and  brave  follow¬ 
ers  of  Jesus. 

Now  you  tell  what  you  have  learned  about  the  Sacra¬ 
ment  of  Confirmation. 

Why  should  you  make  sure  to  learn  more  about  this 
Sacrament,  and  to  be  confirmed  as  soon  as  you  can 
after  your  First  Holy  Communion4? 

There  is  a  Sacrament  which  we  can  receive  through 
Jesus’  Church  to  help  us  when  we  are  very  sick. 


[  Page  237  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Let  us  memorize  what  St.  James,  one  of  the  Apostles, 
tells  us  about  this  Sacrament. 

“Is  any  man  sick  among  you?  Let  him 
bring  in  the  priests  of  the  church,  and  let 
them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  And  the  prayer  of 
faith  shall  save  the  sick  man :  and  the  Lord 
shall  raise  him  up :  and  if  he  be  in  sins,  they 
shall  be  forgiven  him.” 

(St.  James  5:  14,  15.) 

When  the  priest  gives  anyone  this  Sacrament,  it  al¬ 
ways  makes  his  soul  strong  and  well,  and  sometimes 
makes  his  body  strong  and  well  also. 

It  is  called  The  Sacrament  of  Extreme  Unction . 

Tell  what  you  have  just  learned  about  the  Sacrament 
of  Extreme  Unction. 

In  this  lesson  thus  far  you  have  learned  about  two 
Sacraments. 

How  many  Sacraments  do  you  know  altogether? 
Name  them. 

Baptism ,  Confirmation ,  Holy  Eucharist , 
Penance,  Extreme  Unction. 

There  are  two  other  Sacraments. 

But  these  two  Sacraments  are  not  for  children. 

They  are  for  grown-up  people. 

[  Page  23 8  ] 


THE  SACRAMENTS 


By  one  of  these  Sacraments  bishops  and  priests  are 
ordained  and  receive  the  power  which  they  need  to 
perform  their  sacred  duties. 

This  Sacrament  is  called  Holy  Orders. 

Like  Baptism,  and  Confirmation,  the  Sacrament  of 
Holy  Orders  can  be  received  only  once. 

Now  tell  what  you  know  about  the  Sacrament  of 
Holy  Orders. 

The  only  other  Sacrament  is  the  one  which  your  father 
and  mother  received  when  they  were  married. 

All  Catholics  must  be  sure  to  keep  the  laws  of  Jesus’ 
Church  about  marriage. 

And  they  should  prepare  to  receive  this  Sacrament 
by  making  sure  that  they  are  in  the  state  of  grace, 
and  by  much  prayer. 

Then  they  will  receive  all  the  blessings  which  this 
Sacrament  gives. 

It  is  called  The  Sacrament  of  Matrimony. 

Tell  what  you  know  about  the  Sacrament  of  Matri¬ 
mony. 


[ Page  239  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


THE  SACRAMENTS  OF  CONFIRMATION,  EX¬ 
TREME  UNCTION,  HOLY  ORDERS 
AND  MATRIMONY 

(  Continued) 

Second  Division 
Summary 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  about: 

The  Sacrament  of  Confirmation. 

The  Sacrament  of  Extreme  Unction. 

The  Sacrament  of  Holy  Orders. 

The  Sacrament  of  Matrimony. 

Find  out  what  the  Catechism  tells  us  about  the  Seven 
Sacraments. 


Why  do  you  think  that  every  child  should  be  happy 
to  learn  about  the  Seven  Sacraments? 

If  there  were  no  bishops  or  priests  in  Jesus’  Church, 

how  do  you  think  all  of  God’s  loving  children  would 
suffer? 

J  he  priests  of  Jesus  Church  are  God’s  anointed  ones, 
— dedicated  to  the  Divine  worship. 

They  are  set  apart  from  all  others  to  do  Jesus’  work. 

So  they  should  be  treated  with  much  more  reverence 

[  Page  240  ] 


THE  SACRAMENTS 


and  much  more  respect  than  anyone  who  is  not  God’s 
anointed  one. 

Few  of  God’s  children  ever  reach  heaven  without  the 
help  of  Jesus’  priests. 

So  all  of  God’s  loving  children  should  pray  for  Jesus’ 
priests  very  often. 

They  should  ask  Jesus  to  protect  His  priests  from 
every  danger,  and  to  help  them  to  follow  Him  faith¬ 
fully  to  the  end  of  their  lives. 

Now  tell  how  we  should  treat  Jesus’  priests. 

Why  should  we  do  this'? 

How  often  are  you  going  to  pray  for  Jesus’  priests'? 
What  are  you  going  to  ask  Jesus  when  you  pray  for 
His  priests'? 

Now  that  you  know  about  the  Seven  Sacraments,  let 
us  learn  about  sacramentals. 

You  already  know  about  the  sign  of  the  cross,  the 
rosary,  the  crucifix,  and  holy  water. 

But  you  do  not  know  that  these  are  called  sacra- 
mentals. 

Anything  which  is  set  apart  by  the  Church  to  help  us 
to  pray  more  fervently  is  a  sacramental. 

There  are  other  sacramentals  besides  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  the  rosary,  the  crucifix,  and  holy  water. 

Try  to  think  of  some  other  sacramentals. 

Ashes ,  palms ,  images ,  scapulars ,  blessed 

candles ,  etc. 


[  Page  241  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


It  is  well  to  use  the  sacramentals  frequently  to  in¬ 
crease  our  love  of  God. 

For  by  doing  this  we  become  ever  dearer  children  of 
Our  Heavenly  Father. 


And  when  we  use  the  sacramentals  with  reverence  and 
love,  our  venial  sins  are  often  forgiven. 

Now  tell  some  sacramentals  you  would  like  to  use 
every  day. 

Review  Questions 
Name  the  Seven  Sacraments. 

I  ell  what  you  have  learned  about  each  of  the  Seven 
Sacraments. 

How  do  the  Sacraments  help  us? 

Name  some  sacramentals. 

Who  are  God’s  anointed  ones'? 

Why  should  we  pray  for  Jesus’  priests? 

[  Page  242  ] 


IMMEDIATE  PREPARATION  FOR 

CONFESSION 

Lesson  XIX. 


Before  beginning  Lesson  XIX.,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross,  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers : 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 

VI.) 

The  Our  Father 
The  Hail  Mary 
The  Apostles’  Creed. 

When  we  go  to  Jesus’  Church  to  receive  the  Sacra¬ 
ment  of  Penance,  we  usually  say  that  we  are  “ going 
to  confession.” 

In  this  lesson  let  us  learn  just  how  to  go  to  Con¬ 
fession. 

You  remember  that  when  Jesus  was  on  earth  He  for¬ 
gave  Peter  and  Mary  Magdalen  their  sins  because 
they  were  truly  sorry  for  them. 

Jesus  also  forgave  many  others  besides  Peter  and 
Mary  Magdalen. 

Jesus  forgave  the  sins  of  every  sinner  who  came  to 
Him  and  was  sorry. 


[  Page  243  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Does  Jesus  need  to  be  told  our  sins'? 

No. 

Why  not4? 

Jesus  already  knows  our  sins. 

Does  Jesus  need  to  be  told  when  we  are  sorry  for  our 
sins4? 

No. 

Why  not4? 

Jesus  knows  when  we  are  sorry  for  our 

sins. 


But  Jesus  wants  us  to  tell  our  sins  to  His  priest,  and 
to  let  His  priest  know  that  we  are  sorry  for  them. 
And  when  we  do  this,  the  priest  will  then  use  the 
power  that  Jesus  gave  him  to  forgive  our  sins. 


Before  going  to  confession,  always  try  to  spend  some 
time  alone  with  God  asking  Him  to  help  you  to  know 
your  sins. 

And  then,  if  you  quietly  listen  to  God,  He  will  help 
you  to  know  what  sins  you  have  committed. 

When  you  are  trying  to  think  of  your  sins,  we  say 
that  you  are  making  an  examination  of  conscience . 

When  you  finish  examining  your  conscience,  always 
ask  God  to  make  you  very  sorry  for  all  your  sins. 

[  Page  244  ] 


CONFESSION 


Now,  let  us  see  if  you  cun  tell  what  you  should  do 
when  preparing  for  confession. 

1st.  I  should  ask  God  to  help  me  to 

know  my  sins. 

2nd.  I  should  examine  my  conscience. 

3rd.  I  should  ask  God  to  make  me  very 

sorry  for  my  sins. 


Before  making  your  confession,  say  “The  Confteor .” 

Then,  when  your  turn  for  confession  comes,  go  into 
the  confessional,  kneel  and  wait  until  the  priest  opens 
the  little  slide. 

When  the  priest  opens  the  little  slide,  make  the 
Sign  of  the  Cross,  and  then  ask  the  priest  to  bless 
you,  saying:  “Bless  me,  Father,  for  I  have  sinned. 
Then  tell  how  long  it  is  since  your  last  confession. 

But  if  it  is  your  first  confession,  say:  “This  is  my  first 
confession.” 

After  this,  tell  all  of  your  sins.  And  it  is  well  to 
begin  with  the  biggest  one. 

Now,  tell  just  what  you  will  do  when  you  go  into  the 
confessional. 

When  you  are  making  your  confession,  always  try  to 
tell  how  many  times  you  have  committed  each  sin. 

[ Page  245  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


But  if  you  cannot  remember  the  exact  number  of 
times,  tell  about  how  many  times. 

And  if  you  do  not  know  how  to  tell  some  sin,  ask  the 
priest  to  help  you. 

When  you  have  confessed  all  your  sins,  you  should 
say:  “Father,  I  am  very  sorry  for  all  my  sins.” 

If  the  priest  should  ask  you  any  questions  concern¬ 
ing  your  confession,  be  sure  to  answer  the  questions 
clearly  and  truthfully. 

Then  listen  attentively  to  whatever  the  priest  says. 
And  be  very  sure  to  know  exactly  what  prayers  he 
tells  you  to  say. 

For  the  priest  will  nearly  always  tell  you  to  say  some 
prayers  as  your  penance  to  make  up  for  some  of  the 
punishment  due  to  your  sins. 

When  the  priest  is  using  the  power  which  Jesus  gave 
him  to  forgive  your  sins,  he  says:  “I  absolve  thee.” 

And  we  call  this  The  Absolution. 

At  this  time  you  should  say  the  Act  of  Contrition, 
very  sincerely  and  with  all  your  heart. 

Now,  tell  just  what  you  should  do  all  the  time  you 
are  in  the  confessional. 


[  Page  246  ] 


CONFESSION 


While  you  are  making  your  confession,  you  will 
not  have  time  to  thank  Jesus  for  having  been  so  kind 
and  good  to  you, — that  is,  for  having  forgiven  you 
your  sins. 

So,  after  you  leave  the  confessional,  what  do  you 
think  you  should  do  first? 

I  should  first  thank  Jesus  for  having 
forgiven  me  my  sins . 

After  you  have  thanked  Jesus  for  having  forgiven 
you  your  sins,  you  should  think  about  what  the  priest 
said  to  you  in  confession. 

Then,  what  do  you  think  you  should  do  next? 

I  should  say  my  penance. 

After  you  have  said  your  penance,  spend  a  little  time 
talking  things  over  with  Jesus,  making  Acts  of  Love, 
and  telling  Jesus  that  you  will  try  very  hard  to  be 
more  and  more  pleasing  to  Him. 

Now  you  tell  what  you  should  do  after  you  leave 
the  confessional. 

IMMEDIATE  PREPARATION  FOR 

CONFESSION 

(Continued) 

Second  Division 

Let  us  review  what  you  have  learned  about  going  to 
confession. 


[  Page  247  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Tell  just  how  you  would  prepare  for  confession. 

1st.  1  would  ask  Jesus  to  help  me  to 
know  my  sins,  and  then  I  would  make 
my  examination  of  conscience. 

2nd.  After  that  1  would  ask  Jesus  to 
help  me  to  be  really  sorry  for  my  sins. 

3rd.  Before  making  my  confession  1 
* would  say  The  Confiteor. 

Tell  what  you  would  do  when  making  your  confes¬ 
sion. 

1st.  I  would  make  the  Sign  of  the 
Cross,  and  then  ask  the  priest  to  bless 
me,  saying:  “ Bless  me,  Father,  for  I 

have  sinned .” 

2nd.  I  would  then  tell  the  priest  that 
this  is  my  first  confession.  And  after 
that  1  would  tell  all  of  my  sins,  and  how 
many  times  I  had  committed  them. 

3rd.  1  would  finish  by  saying  that  1  was 
very  sorry  for  all  of  my  sins. 

4th.  After  that  1  would  listen  attentive¬ 
ly  to  whatever  the  priest  said,  and  espe¬ 
cially  to  what  he  told  me  to  do  for  my 

penance. 

5th.  Then  I  would  say  the  Act  of  Con¬ 
trition  very  sincerely,  and  with  all  my 

heart. 


[  Page  248  ] 


CONFESSION 


Tell  what  you  would  do  after  you  left  the  confes¬ 
sional. 

1st.  I  would  thank  Jesus  for  having 
forgiven  me  my  sins. 

2nd .  1  would  say  my  penance. 

3rd.  /  would  spend  a  little  time  talking 
with  Jesus,  making  Acts  of  Love,  and 
telling  Him  that  1  intend  to  try  very 
hard  to  be  more  and  more  pleasing  to 

Him. 

You  have  learned  that  in  confession  the  priest  asks 
you  to  make  an  Act  of  Contrition  after  you  have  fin¬ 
ished  telling  your  sins. 


Say  the  short  Act  of  Contrition  you  already  know. 

“O  my  God,  1  am  sorry  that  I  have  of¬ 
fended  Thee:  Do  Thou  increase  my 
sorrow  ”  (Pope  Clement  XI.) 

In  the  Catechism  there  is  a  long  Act  of  Contrition 
which  is  usually  said  in  confession. 

Now  let  us  study  this  Act  of  Contrition. 

While  studying  it,  try  to  memorize  as  much  as  you 
can,  and  learn  the  rest  of  it  before  beginning  the  next 
lesson. 

The  prayer  begins  by  telling  God  we  are  sorry  that 

[ Page  249  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 

we  have  offended  Him,  and  that  we  hate  or  detest 
our  sins. 

The  exact  words  are: 

“O  my  God,  I  am  heartily  sorry  for  having 
offended  Thee,  and  I  detest  all  my  sins.” 

Repeat  this  part  of  the  Act  of  Contrition. 

Then  we  tell  God  three  reasons  why  we  hate  our 
sins. 

The  first  reason  is  because  we  do  not  want  to  lose 
heaven. 

The  second  reason  is  because  we  do  not  want  to  suf¬ 
fer  forever  in  hell. 

The  third  and  best  reason  why  we  are  sorry  for  our 
sins  is  because  they  offend  Our  Heavenly  Father, 
Who  loves  us. 

The  exact  words  of  the  prayer  are : 

“1  detest  all  my  sins  because  I  dread  the  loss 
of  heaven  and  the  pains  of  hell,  but  most  of 
all  because  they  offend  Thee,  my  God,  who 
art  all-good  and  deserving  of  all  my  love.” 

Let  us  repeat  this  part  of  the  prayer. 

The  last  part  of  the  Act  of  Contrition  is  about  our 
resolution  to  try  to  be  better. 

The  exact  words  of  the  prayer  are: 

f  Page  250  ] 


CONFESSION 


“I  firmly  resolve,  with  the  help  of  Thy 
grace,  to  confess  my  sins,  to  do  penance,  and 
to  amend  my  life/5 

Let  us  repeat  this  part  of  the  prayer. 

Let  us  say  this  Act  of  Contrition  from  the  beginning. 

Which  child  do  you  think  is  more  truly  sorry  for  his 
sins,  the  one  who  tries  to  keep  from  everything  which 
caused  him  to  commit  a  sin,  or  the  one  who  does  not 
try  to  do  this  ? 

IMMEDIATE  PREPARATION  FOR 

CONFESSION 

( Continued ) 

Third  Division 

When  we  are  making  an  examination  of  conscience 
for  confession,  it  always  helps  us  to  go  over  the  ten 
commandments  of  God,  the  six  commandments  of 
Holy  Church,  and  the  two  great  commandments  which 
Jesus  gave  us  in  The  New  Law. 

Let  us  review  the  two  great  commandments  which 
Jesus  gave  us. 

Say  these  two  commandments. 

“And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God, 
with  thy  whole  heart,  and  with  thy  whole 

[  Page  251  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


soul  and  with  thy  whole  mind,  and  with  thy 
whole  strength.  This  is  the  first  command¬ 
ment.”  (St.  Mark  12:30.) 

“And  the  second  is  like  to  it:  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.” 

(St.  Mark  12:31.) 

Which  commandment  of  The  New  Law  tells  us  how 
much  we  should  love  God? 

The  first  commandment  of  The  New 
Law  tells  us  how  much  we  should  love 

God . 

Which  commandments  of  The  Old  Law  speak  about 
the  worship  of  God? 

The  first  three  commandments  of  The 
Old  Law  speak  about  the  worship  of 

God . 

Now  try  to  examine  your  conscience  on  the  first  com¬ 
mandment  of  The  New  Law,  asking  yourself  the 
following  questions: 


Have  I  thought  or  spoken  of  God,  my  Crea¬ 
tor  and  loving  Father,  in  any  other  way 
than  with  great  love  and  reverence? 

Have  I  used  the  name  of  Jesus  in  anger,  .or 
in  any  other  way  than  with  love  and  re¬ 
spect? 

[  Page  2 52  ] 


CONFESSION 


Have  I  sinned  against  Faith  by  not  believ¬ 
ing  what  I  know  Jesus’  Church  teaches? 

Have  I  committed  a  mortal  sin  by  not  as¬ 
sisting  at  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  on 
Sundays  and  holydays  of  obligation  when  it 
would  have  been  possible  for  me  to  assist  at 
Holy  Mass? 

Have  I,  through  my  own  fault,  been  late 
for  Holy  Mass  on  Sundays  or  holydays  of 
obligation? 

I  know  that  I  should  use  my  mind  and  my 
will  to  worship  God  all  during  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  Have  I  done  this? 

I  know  that  on  Sunday,  besides  assisting  at 
Holy  Mass,  I  must  remember  that  Sunday  is 
God’s  Day.  Have  I  kept  Sunday  holy,  as 
God’s  Day  should  be  kept? 

I  know  that  I  should  abstain  from  meat  on 
Friday,  in  memory  of  the  day  Jesus  suffered 
and  died  for  me.  Have  I  done  this? 

I  have  been  taught  to  turn  my  mind  toward 
God  with  love  when  I  first  awaken  in  the 
morning,  and,  when  I  arise,  to  kneel  and  say 
my  morning  prayers. 

I  have  been  taught  to  kneel  again  at  night  to 
say  my  prayers  before  going  to  bed. 

Have  I  always  tried  to  be  faithful  and  rever¬ 
ent  in  saying  my  prayers? 


[  Page  253  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


I  know  that  God  should  come  first  in  my 
life.  That  is,  He  should  come  before  any¬ 
body  else,  or  anything  else.  Have  I  loved 
any  person,  or  anything,  more  than  God? 

I  know  that  God  dwells  within  me,  and 
that  my  body  is  His  temple.  Have  I  been 
careful  always  to  honor  and  reverence  my 
body  as  God’s  sacred  home? 

Have  I  made  everyone  else  respect  my  body 
as  God’s  sacred  dwelling  place? 

Have  I  said  anything  which  was  not  fit  to 
be  heard  by  God,  who  dwells  within  me? 

t  •  t  •  * 

Have  I  taken  part  in  any  conversation,  or 
have  I  continued  listening  to  anything 
which  I  knew  was  not  fit  to  be  heard  by  God 
dwelling  within  me? 

By  the  way  I  have  dressed,  have  I  shown 
respect  to  God  dwelling  within  me? 

Have  I  kept  on  reading  any  book  or  paper 
after  I  found  out  that  what  I  was  reading 
was  not  pure? 

Have  I  gone  to  see  any  plays  or  any  pic¬ 
tures  when  I  knew  that  what  I  was  seeing  or 
hearing  was  not  pure? 

Have  I  watched  over  my  thoughts,  and  if 
any  impure  thought  came  into  my  mind,  did 

[  Page  254  ] 


CONFESSION 


I  at  once  say  a  prayer,  and  quickly  turn  my 
mind  to  something  good,  or  did  I  keep  the 
impure  thought  in  my  mind? 

Has  my  mind  ruled  my  body  as  it  should,  or 
has  my  body  had  its  own  way  in  being  lazy, 
— in  being  greedy? 

Have  I  committed  sins  of  pride  in  any  of  the 
following  ways: 

Have  I  thought  that  I  am  better  than 
some  others  because  God  has  given  me 
a  brighter  mind  or  a  stronger  will  than 
He  has  given  them? 


Have  I  looked  down  upon  others  be¬ 
cause  they  were  poor? — or  friendless? 

— or  helpless? — or  sick? — or  in  trouble 
of  any  kind? 

Have  I  acted  in  a  selfish  way? 

[  Page  255  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


I  know  bv  the  fourth  commandment  I  must 
* 

reverence  and  obey  my  parents  in  all  that 
is  not  sin.  Have  I  disobeyed  either  of  my 
parents  or  any  one  else  whom  I  ought  to 
obey  ? 

Have  I  shown  disrespect  in  any  way  to  my 
parents  or  to  anyone  else? 


Say  the  second  Great  Commandment  of  The  New 
Law. 

By  keeping  the  second  Great  Commandment  of  The 
New  Law  I  shall  also  keep  several  commandments 
of  The  Old  Law. 

To  see  if  I  love  my  neighbor  as  myself,  let  me  ask 
myself  some  questions  such  as  these: 

Have  I  wanted  to  harm  anyone? 

Have  I  hurt  anyone  by  my  words  or  acts? 

I  Page  256  ] 


CONFESSION 


Have  I  annoyed  or  tormented  any  one"? 

Have  I  committed  a  sin  of  anger"? 

When  anyone  is  mean  to  me,  do  1  forgive 
that  one,  or  do  I  try  to  get  even? 

Have  I  caused  anyone  else  to  commit  a  sin? 

Have  I  stolen  anything? 

Have  I  helped  to  steal  anything? 

Have  I  returned  whatever  I  have  borrowed? 

Have  I  cheated  or  been  dishonest  in  any 
way? 

Have  I  told  a  lie  about  anything? 

Have  I  told  a  lie  about  any  person? 

Have  I  caused  anyone  to  be  looked  down 
upon,  by  telling  something  I  did  not  need 
to  tell? 

Have  I  been  jealous  or  disagreeable  because 
a  certain  person  succeeded? 

Have  I  been  sorry  because  someone  else  was 
praised,  or  had  something  which  I  could  not 
have? 

Have  I  wished  to  take  or  keep  something 
which  I  had  no  right  to  have? 


[ Page  257  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


After  confession,  suppose  you  remember  some  sin  that 
you  have  forgotten  to  tell. 

What  would  you  do  then'?1 

Suppose  in  confession  some  child  did  not  tell  a  sin  be¬ 
cause  he  was  ashamed  or  afraid  to  tell  it. 

Who,  besides  the  child,  would  know  all  about  the  sin, 
and  would  know  that  it  had  been  concealed4? 

Jesus  would  know. 

If  any  child  should  be  so  foolish  as  to  conceal  in  con¬ 
fession  some  serious  sin,  then  none  of  the  sins  which 
he  did  tell  would  be  forgiven,  and,  besides,  he  would 
have  committed  one  more  serious  sin. 

Would  this  confession  be  a  good  one,  or  a  bad  one? 

This  would  be  a  bad  confession. 

What  do  you  think  the  child  should  do  to  have  this 
very  serious  sin  forgiven? 

He  should  make  a  good  confession ,  tell¬ 
ing  all  about  the  bad  one. 

No  priest  ever  tells  anything  that  he  has  heard  in  con¬ 
fession. 

Why  do  you  think  that  every  little  child  should  know 
this? 

Review  Questions 
Name  the  seven  Sacraments. 

Uf  you  really  forgot  the  sin,  you  would  not  need  to  go  right  back  to  con¬ 
fession,  but  you  should  make  an  Act  of  Contrition,  and  tell  the  sin  the  next  time  you 
go  to  confession. 

[  Page  258  ] 


CONFESSION 


What  is  the  Sacrament  of  Penance? 

What  must  we  do  to  receive  the  Sacrament  of  Penance 
worthily? 

Why  should  we  go  to  confession  often? 

Say  the  Act  of  Contrition  given  in  the  Catechism. 

Tell  why  no  one  should  ever  conceal  a  sin  in  confes¬ 
sion. 


[  Page  259  ] 


IMMEDIATE  PREPARATION  FOR  HOLY 

COMMUNION 


Lesson  XX. 

Before  beginning  Lesson  XX.,  let  us  make  the  Sign 
of  the  Cross,  and  say  one  of  the  following  prayers : 

Acts  of  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  and  Contrition  (Lesson 
VI.) 

The  Lord’s  Prayer. 

The  Hail  Mary. 

The  Apostles’  Creed. 

You  have  learned  that  when  you  were  born  there  was 
none  of  God’s  brightness  and  beauty  in  your  soul, 
because  of  original  sin. 

Through  which  Sacrament  did  you  first  receive  the 
most  precious  gift  of  sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and 
beauty? 

I  first  received  the  most  precious  gift  of 
sharing  in  God’s  brightness  and  beauty 
through  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism. 

And  you  have  learned  that  if  sin  has  caused  your  soul 
to  become  darkened  and  displeasing  to  God,  it  can  be 
made  bright  and  beautiful  again  through  another 
Sacrament.  Which  Sacrament  is  this? 

The  Sacrament  of  Penance. 


[  Page  260  ] 


HOLY  COMMUNION 


After  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  has  made  your  soul 
bright  and  beautiful  again,  you  may  then  receive 
Jesus  in  Holy  Communion.  And  I  am  sure  that  you 
would  like  to  have  some  flowers  of  love  to  present 
to  Jesus  when  He  comes  into  your  soul. 


And  now  let  us  think  about  some  flowers  of  love 
which  would  be  very  pleasing  to  Him. 

Flowers,  of  course,  make  the  whole  earth  beautiful. 
We  cannot  put  into  our  souls  roses  or  lilies,  or  any 
flowers  which  grow  upon  the  earth. 

But  there  are  spiritual  flowers  which  belong  only  to 
our  souls,  and  which  make  our  souls  very  beautiful. 
These  flowers  are  flowers  of  love. 

Some  of  these  flowers  of  love  are  made  up  of  Acts  of 
Faith ,  Hope ,  Love ,  and  Contrition . 


[  Page  261  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


Say  the  Act  of  Faith, — the  Act  of  Hope, — the  Act  of 
Love, — and  the  Act  of  Contrition  which  you  have 
learned. 

If  you  wanted  to  have  many  of  these  flowers  of  love 
to  receive  Jesus,  what  would  you  have  to  do? 

I  would  have  to  make  many  Acts  of 
Faith ,  Hope ,  Love ,  and  Contrition. 

Other  flowers  of  love  are  made  up  of  acts  of  kindness . 
Tell  several  acts  of  kindness  which  you  think  would 
help  to  make  your  soul  more  beautiful  to  receive 
Jesus. 

Then  there  are  flowers  of  love  made  up  of  little  vic¬ 
tories  over  ourselves. 

In  winning  these  little  victories  over  ourselves  it  is 
usually  necessary  for  us  to  give  up  something  or  to 
do  without  something  which  we  like. 

When  we  give  up  something  or  do  without  something 
which  we  like,  it  is  called  “making  a  sacrifice.” 

For  instance,  suppose  there  were  cakes  for  supper, 
which  you  liked  very  much. 

And  suppose  you  wanted  a  flower  of  love  which  would 
make  your  soul  more  pleasing  to  Jesus.  What  sacri¬ 
fice  could  you  make? 

Or,  suppose  that  you  would  like  to  play  with  some 
other  children. 


f  Page  262  ] 


HOLY  COMMUNION 


But  you  notice  that  your  mother  has  many  things  to 
do,  and  that  if  you  remain  with  her  you  can  help  her. 
If  you  want  to  offer  a  flower  of  love  to  Jesus,  how 
could  you  do  this? 

Before  I  tell  you  about  another  flower  of  love  that 
would  make  your  soul  very  beautiful  for  Jesus,  I  must 
explain  something  to  you. 

During  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  the  priest,  by 
the  Divine  power  which  he  has  received  from  Jesus, 
consecrates  the  bread  or  hosts  which  are  in  a  golden 
cup  called  a  ciborium . 

And  by  the  same  Divine  power  he  also  consecrates  the 
wine  which  is  in  a  golden  cup  called  a  chalice . 

You  have  learned  that  after  the  Consecration,  the 
bread  and  wine  are  no  longer  bread  and  wine. 

For  at  the  Consecration  a  wonderful  change  takes 
place. 

What  is  this  wonderful  change  which  takes  place  at 
the  Consecration? 

At  the  Consecration  the  bread  and 
wine  are  changed  into  the  Body  and 

Blood  of  Jesus . 

When  you  go  to  receive  Jesus  in  Holy  Communion, 
you  receive  Him  in  the  Sacred  Host  which  the  priest 
gives  you. 


[  Page  263  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 

After  Holy  Communion,  the  priest  opens  the  little 
door  of  the  tabernacle,  which  is  right  in  the  center  of 
the  altar. 

He  takes  the  ciborium  containing  the  Sacred  Hosts, 

\ 

and  places  it  carefully  within  the  tabernacle. 

In  this  way,  you  see,  Jesus  dwells  in  the  tabernacle  on 
our  altars.  He  is  there  night  and  day,  waiting  to  re¬ 
ceive  our  visits,  to  listen  to  us,  to  comfort  and  console 
us,  and  to  come  into  our  souls  to  feed  them  with  His 
Divine  Life. 

When  you  remember  that  Jesus  is  always  there  in  the 
tabernacle  ready  to  receive  a  visit  from  you,  will  you  be 
satisfied  to  go  to  Jesus’  Church  only  once  a  week,  or 
will  you  try  to  visit  Him  more  often? 


You  can  make  of  each  visit  to  Jesus  in  His  tabernacle 
a  very  precious  flower  of  love. 

Now,  you  tell  what  you  would  do  if  you  wanted  to 
make  your  soul  beautiful  with  many  of  these  precious 
flowers  of  love. 


Of  course,  you  are  not  obliged  to  give  these  flowers  of 
love  to  Jesus. 

You  must  decide  about  this  for  yourself,  and  also 
about  how  many  flowers  of  love  you  will  offer  to  Jesus. 
Of  course,  these  flowers  of  love  always  please  Jesus, 
but  there  are  two  important  things  which  Holy  Church 

[  Page  264  ] 


HOLY  COMMUNION 


tells  us  that  we  must  do  before  receiving  Jesus  in  Holy 
Communion. 

First  of  all,  everyone  must  make  sure  that  his  soul  is 
not  darkened  by  sin, — that  is,  that  his  soul  is  bright 
and  beautiful. 

And  he  must  not  eat  or  drink  anything  at  all  from  mid¬ 
night  until  after  receiving  Jesus  in  Holy  Communion 
the  next  morning. 

This  is  usually  called  “fasting  from  midnight.” 

Now  tell  how  Holy  Church  teaches  us  to  prepare  our 
souls  to  receive  Jesus  in  Holy  Communion. 

Tell  some  flowers  of  love  which  would  make  our  souls 
still  more  beautiful  to  receive  Jesus  in  Holy  Com¬ 
munion. 

/ 

Now  that  you  know  how  to  make  your  soul  bright  and 
beautiful,  I  must  tell  you  exactly  how  to  receive  Jesus 
in  the  Sacred  Host. 

When  you  hear  the  priest  saying  “ Agnus  Dei”  which 
means  Lamb  of  God ,  you  know  that  the  time  for  Holy 
Communion  is  very  near. 

Then  you,  too,  can  say  this  prayer  which  is  so  very 
pleasing  to  Jesus. 

Very  soon  after  this  you  hear  the  priest  saying  “Dom- 
ine ,  non  sum  dignus  ”  which  means,  Lord ,  I  am  not 
worthy. 


[  Page  265  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


He  says  this  prayer  just  before  he  receives  Holy  Com¬ 
munion. 

And  you,  too,  can  say  this  prayer  before  you  receive 
Holy  Communion. 

When  the  priest  comes  to  you  at  the  altar  rail  to  give 
you  the  Sacred  Host,  you  should  hold  your  head  up, 
open  your  mouth,  and  pluce  your  tongue  on  your  lower 
lip. 

And,  of  course,  you  know  the  Sacred  Host  should  be 
swallowed  and  not  allowed  to  remain  in  your  mouth. 

After  you  have  received  the  Sacred  Host  return  to 
your  place,  thinking  only  of  Jesus  within  you. 

Then  spend  the  rest  of  the  time  of  Holy  Mass,  and  a 
little  while  afterwards,  in  thanking  Jesus  for  coming 
to  you. 

The  moments  right  after  Holy  Communion  are  very 
precious. 

For  then  Jesus  is  within  your  soul  as  your  Divine 
Guest. 

You  know  that  Jesus  loves  you,  and  that  whatever 
interests  you  interests  Him. 

So  do  you  think  it  will  be  hard  or  very  easy  to  know 
what  to  say  to  Jesus4? 

You  will  probably  want  to  ask  Jesus  to  bless  all  those 
at  home,  and  many  others  also. 


[  Page  266  ] 


HOLY  COMMUNION 


You  will  want  to  thank  Jesus  for  many  things,  and  to 
ask  Him  for  many  favors  for  yourself  and  others. 

But,  above  all,  do  not  forget  to  ask  Jesus  for  the  spe¬ 
cial  grace  of  never  comitting  a  mortal  sin. 

Do  you  think  that  those  who  receive  Jesus  in  Holy 
Communion  should  leave  the  Church  as  soon  as  the 
Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  ended,  or  that  they 
should  try  to  remain  a  little  while  longer? 

Why  do  you  think  they  should  try  to  remain  a  little 
while  longer? 


Summary 

Tell  what  you  have  learned  in  this  lesson  that  you 
want  to  remember  always. 


[ Page  267  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


I  will  tell  you  something  else  which  will  please  Jesus 
very  much. 

When  you  receive  Jesus  in  Holy  Communion  it  will 
please  Him  if  you  tell  Him  that  you  love  Him  so 
much  and  need  Him  so  much  that  you  promise  to  re¬ 
ceive  Holy  Communion  very  often  all  the  rest  of  your 
life, — even  every  day,  if  that  be  possible. 

Long  ago  children  and  even  grown-up  people  were  not 
generally  encouraged  to  receive  Holy  Communion 
every  day,  no  matter  how  much  they  longed  to  do  so. 
But  in  the  year  1910  Jesus’  representative,  Pope  Pius 
X.,  made  known  that  grown-up  people,  and  even  lit¬ 
tle  children,  were  to  be  encouraged  to  receive  Holy 
Communion  very  often,  even  every  day. 

Pope  Pius  X.  sent  messages  to  every  bishop  and  priest 
all  over  the  world  to  prepare  the  little  children  to  re¬ 
ceive  Jesus  in  Holy  Communion  as  soon  as  they  were 
old  enough  to  know  about  Jesus  in  the  Sacred  Host. 
So  you  see  Pope  Pius  X.  gave  special  permission  to 
all  of  God’s  loving  children  to  receive  Jesus  every  day. 
Pope  Pius  X.  knew  that  this  was  the  only  way  for 
God’s  loving  children  to  receive  more  and  more  Divine 
Life,  making  ever  brighter  and  clearer  God’s  image 
and  likeness  in  their  souls  until  the  day  when  He 
would  take  them  to  Himself  to  be  with  Him  forever 
in  heaven. 


[  Page  268  ] 


HOLY  COMMUNION 


IMMEDIATE  PREPARATION  FOR  HOLY 

COMMUNION 

( Continued ) 

Second  Division 

You  have  been  learning  about  many  blessings  which 
come  to  us  through  Jesus’  Church. 

But  you  have  not  yet  learned  about  the  great  blessing 
of  indulgences. 

You  know  that  we  go  to  confession  to  have  our  sins 
forgiven. 

But  even  after  our  sins  have  been  forgiven,  we  still 
have  to  suffer,  either  here  on  earth  or  in  purgatory,  the 
punishment  which  follows  every  sin. 

But  Holy  Church  is  like  a  good  mother. 

For  she  offers  us  different  ways  by  which  we  can  make 
up  for  some  or  all  of  the  punishment  which  follows 
every  sin. 

The  saying  of  certain  prayers  and  the  doing  of  certain 
good  works  are  among  these  different  ways  which 
Holy  Church  offers  us. 

And  when  we  want  to  gain  an  indulgence,  we  say 
these  prayers  or  do  these  good  works. 

But,  of  course,  these  indulgenced  prayers  and  good 

[  Page  269  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


works  do  not  take  the  place  of  the  penance  which  the 
priest  gives  us  in  confession. 

Now  you  tell  how  Holy  Church  helps  us  to  make  up 
for  the  punishment  which  follows  every  sin. 

No  one  can  gain  an  indulgence  whose  soul  is  darkened 
by  serious  sin. 

But  when  we  are  in  the  state  of  grace,  it  is  possible 
for  us  to  gain  an  indulgence  for  ourselves,  or  for  the 
suffering  souls  in  purgatory,  every  time  we  say  these 
special  prayers  or  do  these  special  good  works. 

For  instance,  it  is  possible  for  us  to  gain  an  indul¬ 
gence  every  time  we  make  the  Sign  of  the  Cross,  or  say 
the  Gloria  Patri,  or  the  Acts  of  Faith,  Hope  and  Love. 
It  is  also  possible  for  us  to  gain  an  indulgence  by  say¬ 
ing  with  the  priest  the  prayers  after  Holy  Mass. 

The  Memorare  and  the  Rosary  are  also  indulgenced 
prayers. 

Now  let  us  see  if  you  can  answer  some  questions  about 
indulgences: 

Some  persons  cannot  gain  an  indulgence.  Why  is 
this? 

Besides  ourselves,  we  can  help  other  souls  by  saying 
indulgenced  prayers.  What  other  souls  can  we  help? 


[  Page  270  ] 


HOLY  COMMUNION 


Mention  some  indulgenced  prayers  which  you  already 
know. 

Now  let  us  memorize  some  other  short  indulgenced 
prayers,  which  I  am  sure  you  will  want  to  say  very 
often. 

The  following  indulgenced  prayers  are  taken  from  the 
Raccolta. 

“Jesus,  my  God,  I  adore  Thee,  here  present  in  the 
Sacrament  of  Thy  Love/’ 

“O  Jesus  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  have  mercy  on 
us. 


“Sweet  Heart  of  Jesus,  make  me  love  Thee  ever  more 
and  more.” 

“Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  I  trust  in  Thee.” 

“Jesus  meek  and  humble  of  heart,  make  my  heart  like 
unto  Thine.” 

“Sweet  Heart  of  Jesus,  be  my  love.” 

“All  for  Thee,  most  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus.” 

“Jesus,  my  God,  I  love  Thee  above  all  things.” 

[ Page  271  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


“Most  sweet  Jesus,  increase  my  faith,  hope,  and 
charity,  and  give  me  an  humble  and  contrite  heart/’ 

At  Holy  Mass,  during  the  Consecration,  when  the 
priest  raises  the  Sacred  Host,  look  up  reverently  and 
say : 


“My  Lord ,  and  my  God.” 


f  Page  272  ] 


APPENDIX 


NOTE  CONCERNING 
Lesson  II. 

For  the  teaching  of  the  doctrinal  point  of  Lesson  II: 
“ God’s  Image  and  Likeness  in  Us/’ — excerpts  from  the 
“Summa”  of  St.  Thomas,  St.  Aelred  of  Rivaux,  St.  Bernard 
and  “The  Catechism  Explained”  by  Reverend  Francis  Spirago, 
are  given,  to  serve  as  the  teacher’s  source-material. 

“As  man  is  said  to  be  to  the  image  of  God  by  reason  of  his 
intellectual  nature,  he  is  the  most  perfectly  like  God  according 
to  that  in  which  he  can  best  imitate  God  in  his  intellectual 
nature. 

“Now,  the  intellectual  nature  imitates  God,  chiefly  in  this, 
that  God  understands  and  loves  Himself.  Wherefore,  we  see 
that  the  image  of  God  is  in  man  in  three  ways.  Firstly,  in  as 
much  as  man  possesses  a  natural  aptitude  for  understanding 
and  loving  God,  which  aptitude  consists  in  the  very  nature  of 
the  mind,  which  is  common  to  all  men:  secondly,  inasmuch  as 
man,  actually,  or  habitually  knows  and  loves  God,  though  im¬ 
perfectly,  which  kind  of  image  is  by  the  conformity  of  Grace: 
thirdly,  inasmuch  as  man  knows  and  loves  God  perfectly,  which 
is  from  the  likeness  and  conformity  of  glory.” 

Sumtna  of  St.  Thomas. 

“Man  is  called  the  image  of  God,  not  that  he  is  essentially 
an  image;  but  that  the  image  of  God  is  impressed  on  his  mind; 
as  a  coin  is  an  image  of  the  king,  as  having  the  image  of  the 
king.  Wherefore  there  is  no  need  to  consider  the  image  of  God 
as  existing  in  every  part  of  man.” 

Summa  of  St.  Thomas. 

[  Page  273  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


“The  rational  creature  is  alone  capable  of  beatitude; 
made  to  His  Creator’s  image,  he  was  formed  for  adhering  to 
God  Whose  image  he  is;  this  is  the  one  good  of  the  rational 
creature,  for,  as  David  sings:  ‘My  good  is  to  adhere  to  God.’ 
It  is  not  the  body  but  the  soul  that  adheres  to  God,  Who  has 
planted  three  powers  in  her,  through  which  she  may  be  the  re¬ 
cipient  of  eternity,  the  partaker  of  wisdom,  and  the  enjoyer  of 
sweetness.  These  powers  are  memory,  understanding,  and  will 
or  love.  The  man  created  in  these  three  powers  to  the  image 
of  the  Trinity  had  his  memory  retentive  of  God  without  for¬ 
getfulness,  his  understanding  given  to  know  God  without  error, 
and  his  love  embracing  God  without  cupidity  for  other  things. 
And  so  he  was  blessed.” 

St.  Aelred  of  Rivaux. 

“That  Blessed  and  Eternal  Trinity,  the  one  God,  Father, 
Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  the  Supreme  Power,  Wisdom,  and  Be¬ 
nignity,  created  to  His  own  image  and  likeness,  a  certain  trinity 
in  the  rational  soul,  which  bears  a  resemblance  to  the  Supreme 
Trinity.  This  resemblance  consists  in  the  memory,  under¬ 
standing,  and  will.  God  created  the  soul  in  this  form  to  abide 
in  Him  and  partake  from  Him,  that  man  might  be  happy.” 

St.  Bernard. 


“The  soul  is  also  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Trinity,  in  virtue 
of  its  three  powers,  memory,  understanding,  and  will.  In  its 
memory  it  resembles  the  Father,  in  its  understanding  the  Son, 
and  in  its  will  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  these  three  powers  are 
united  in  one  soul,  so  the  three  Persons  of  the  Blessed  Trinity 
are  united  in  one  and  the  same  nature.  Notice  the  words  used 
at  the  Creation:  ‘Let  us  make  man,’  thereby  indicating  the 
plurality  of  Persons  in  the  Blessed  Trinity.  It  is  its  likeness  to 
the  Blessed  Trinity  that  gives  to  every  single  soul  its  priceless 
value;  it  is  this  which  explains  the  Incarnation.  The  soul  of 
man  is  worth  more  than  all  the  stars  of  heaven.  The  body  of 
man  is  not  made  in  the  image  of  God,  for  God  is  a  pure  spirit, 
but  yet  the  likeness  to  God  stamps  itself  in  some  way  on  the 


[  Page  274  ] 


APPENDIX 


body,  as  being  the  instrument  of  the  soul,  both  in  its  upright 
bearing,  and  in  the  dominion  it  exerts  over  the  irrational  ani¬ 
mals.  (Cf.  Ps.  8:  5-7).  ‘What  is  man  that  thou  art  mind¬ 
ful  of  him?  .  .  .  thou  hast  crowned  him  with  glory  and  honor: 

and  hast  set  him  over  the  works  of  thy  hands.’  ” 

The  Catechism  Explained,  By  Rev. 
Francis  Spirago. 


NOTE  CONCERNING 
Lesson  VI. 

“There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  among  theologians  as  to 
the  nature  of  that  purification  which  the  souls  undergo  in 
purgatory.  From  what  are  they  purified?  From  the  guilt  of 
sin,  or  simply  from  imperfections?  If  from  imperfections,  in 
what  sense  do  they  become  perfect?  In  that  they  are  intrin¬ 
sically  improved ;  or  is  it  merely  that  they  have  bettered  their 
condition  before  God? 

“Bellarmine  goes  so  far  as  to  maintain  that  the  culpa  or 

guilt  of  venial  sin  is  remitted  in  purgatory . He  says  that 

the  true  opinion  is  St.  Thomas’s,  that  the  guilt  of  venial  sin, 
culpas  veniales,  is  remitted  in  purgatory  by  an  act  of  love  and 
patient  endurance. 

( De  Purg.  lib.  i.  c.,  xiv.  22.) 

“Suarez,  on  the  other  hand,  does  not  seem  to  admit  that 
purgatory  betters  the  soul  in  any  other  sense  than  enabling  it 
to  discharge  the  debt  of  punishment  due  to  sin . 

“On  the  whole,  there  does  not  appear  anything  contrary  to 
sound  theology  in  the  idea  of  such  an  intrinsic  improvement 
taking  place  in  the  soul  in  purgatory  as  is  implied  in  the  gradual 
getting  rid  of  passive  bad  habits  and  earthly  tastes.” 

Quotations  from  Appendix  B  of  The 
Treatise  on  Purgatory,  by  St.  Cath¬ 
erine  of  Genoa. 


[  Page  275  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


“Whosoever  comes  into  God’s  presence  must  be  perfectly 
pure,  for  in  the  strictest  sense  His  ‘eyes  are  too  pure  to  behold 
evil’  (Hab.  1:  13).  For  unrepented  venial  faults,  for  the  pay¬ 
ment  of  temporal  punishment  due  to  sin  at  time  of  death,  the 
Church  has  always  taught  the  doctrine  of  purgatory.” 

Excerpt  from  the  article  on  Purga¬ 
tory,  in  the  Catholic  Encyclopedia, 
by  Edward  J.  Hanna,  S.T.D. 

“But  still  I  see  that  the  Being  of  God  is  so  pure  (far  more 
than  one  can  imagine),  that  should  a  soul  see  in  itself  even  the 
least  mote  of  imperfection,  it  would  rather  cast  itself  into  a 
thousand  hells  than  go  with  that  spot  into  the  presence  of  the 
Divine  Majesty.  Therefore,  seeing  purgatory  ordained  to 
take  away  such  blemishes,  it  plunges  therein,  and  deems  it  a 
great  mercy  that  it  can  thus  remove  them.” 

“Gold  which  has  been  purified  to  a  certain  point  ceases  to 
suffer  any  diminution  from  the  action  of  fire,  however  great  it 
may  be;  for  the  fire  does  not  destroy  gold,  but  only  the  dross 
that  it  may  chance  to  have.  In  like  manner  the  Divine  fire  acts 
on  souls:  God  holds  them  in  the  furnace  until  every  defect  has 
been  burned  away,  and  He  has  brought  them,  each  in  his  own 
degree,  to  a  certain  standard  of  perfection.” 

Quotations  from  The  Treatise  on 
Purgatory,  by  St.  Catherine  of  Genoa. 


In  this  lesson  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  give  just  an 
idea  of  purgatory.  The  lessons  on  mortal  and  venial  sin,  and 
on  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  will  be  presented  later  on.  Then 
it  will  be  easy  to  complete  the  idea  of  purgatory  which  is  given 
here. 


NOTE  CONCERNING 
Lesson  XVI. 

The  following  quotations  taken  from  “The  Summa”  of  St. 
Thomas,  “The  Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent,”  and  “The 

[  Page  276  ] 


APPENDIX 


Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,”  by  Reverend  Dr.  Nicholas  Gihr, 
have  been  chosen  as  source-material  for  immediate  use  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  lesson  on  The  Sacrament  of  the  Holy 
Eucharist. 

“Sacraments  are  signs  instituted  not  by  men  but  by  God, 
which  we  firmly  believe  have  in  themselves  the  power  of  pro¬ 
ducing  the  sacred  effects  of  which  they  are  the  signs.” 

Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 


“This  sacrament  is  both  a  sacrifice  and  a  sacrament;  it  has 
the  nature  of  a  sacrifice  inasmuch  as  it  is  offered  up;  and  it  has 
the  nature  of  a  sacrament  inasmuch  as  it  is  received.” 

The  Summa  of  St.  Thomas. 


“  ‘Having  therefore  a  great  high  priest  that  hath  passed 

into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the  Son  of  God’ . (Hebrews  4:14) 

Jesus  Christ  was  in  His  mortal  life,  as  He  is  now,  that  He  sit- 
teth  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  majesty  in  the  heavens 
(Hebrew  8:  1)  the  perfect  Mediator,  the  true  and  great  High- 
priest  of  the  human  race.” 

The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Nicholas  Gihr. 


“As  the  Eternal  Highpriest  according  to  the  order  of 
Melchisedech  Christ  does  not  and  will  not  cease  until  the  con¬ 
summation  of  time  to  offer  Himself  in  the  Mass  to  His 
Heavenly  Father;  but  now  He  no  longer  does  so  alone  in  a  per¬ 
sonal,  visible  manner,  as  He  did  at  the  Last  Supper  and  upon 
the  Cross,  but  invisibly  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  human 
representative.  Christ  is  indeed  the  principal  celebrant  at  the 
altar,  for  He  has  the  primary  and  chief  part  in  the  celebration 
of  the  Eucharistic  Sacrifice;  still  He  does  not  perform  this 
action  alone  and  without  assistance,  but  employs  for  it  specially 
authorized  servants  and  instruments,  namely,  validly  ordained 
priests.” 

The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Nicholas  Gihr. 


[  Page  277  ] 


THE  SPIRITUAL  WAY 


“In  the  following  words:  ‘Do  this  for  a  commemoration 
of  Me/  the  Lord  commanded  His  Apostles  and  their  successors 
in  the  priestly  dignity  to  do  the  same  as  He  had  done,  until  His 
return  at  the  end  of  time,  that  is,  continually  to  offer  the 
Eucharistic  Sacrifice,  which  He  had  just  offered  in  their  pres¬ 
ence.  By  this  command,  as  a  natural  consequence,  He  also 
imparted  to  them  the  power  of  consecration,  or  of  offering 
sacrifice,  that  is,  He  made  them  priests  of  the  New  Law. 
‘Thus  Our  Lord  instituted  the  Eucharistic  Sacrifice,  and  willed 
to  transmit  the  power  to  offer  it  to  priests  only,  to  whom  it 
appertains  to  partake  of  it  and  to  distribute  it  to  the  rest.’  ” 

The  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Nicholas  Gihr. 


“But  this  sacrament  is  spiritual  food;  hence,  just  as  bodily 
food  is  taken  every  day,  so  it  is  a  good  thing  to  receive  this 
sacrament  every  day.  Hence  it  is  that  Our  Lord  (Luke  11:3) 
teaches  us  to  pray,  ‘Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.’  ” 

The  Summa  of  St.  Thomas. 


[  Page  278  ] 


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